Hornets appoint Pezzolano as Cleverley replacement | OneFootball

Watford have named 42-year-old Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as their new head coach.

The ex-Real Valladolid manager only emerged as a serious candidate in the past 24 hours, but by midday he had become the bookmakers' frontrunner.

Pezzolano is the first Uruguayan to take charge of the Hornets and, at 42, is just seven years older than his predecessor, Tom Cleverley.

After launching his coaching journey at Torque in Uruguay’s second tier, Pezzolano departed for Mexico to manage Pachuca, leading them to the Liga MX play-offs in 2021.

He left the Mexican side by mutual agreement in November 2021 and embarked on a successful spell with Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro, who he led into the top flight from Brazil's Serie B.

He exited that role after just over a year to take over at Spanish club Real Valladolid, who were relegated in his first season - but then bounced immediately back into La Liga after promotion in 2023/24.

This season, however, Pezzolano was sacked following a heavy 5-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in late November.

Known for his energetic, pressing approach, Pezzolano has a reputation for possession-based football and youth development.

He joins a Watford side, who flirted with the Championship play-offs during the 2024/25 season before eventually finishing 14th in the table.