Championship side Watford have issued a statement on X reassuring fans that manager Tom Cleverley will be in charge of their upcoming game against Coventry City whilst brushing aside reports as “speculation”.
Reports emerged earlier today from talkSPORT (which has since been updated to include the statement) and several other outlets that Watford were looking to part company with manager Cleverley despite sitting just one point off the Championship play-offs.
The former Manchester United man is well liked by fans of the club for exceeding expectations and placing the club in a good position to punch above their weight after taking over from Valerien Ismael. He was able to save them from relegation last season and has now pushed them up the table to play-off contention.
But according to some reports that is not enough for the Championship side.
Watford’s Statement
On Thursday evening the club released a statement reading:
“Watford FC confirms Tom will be in charge for the match at Coventry City and that the speculation over his position is just that – pure speculation.”
The post stops short of giving their boss any real backing and only goes so far in to offer assurances of their next game on Saturday. It is not the vote of confidence the manager would have been hoping for.
Will Watford Part Company with Cleverley?
Watford have a long history of parting company with managers for at times lofty and unrealistic expectations, often times without giving much of an opportunity for any progress to be felt. Cleverley is well liked amongst the fans and has been performing well above what was expected of him this season. Whilst from an outside view, looking at a standard EFL club in this situation you might presume that there is no reason to sack the manager, this is Watford and anything is possible.
It would not be surprising, even with the statement to see a post on Saturday evening stating “Watford and Tom Cleverley have mutually parted company”.