Frank Lampard tipped to become next Watford boss but other big names are circling
- Scott Allen
- 24 January 2022
For the second time this season, Watford are on the lookout for a new manager after sacking Claudio Ranieri. Frank Lampard is one of the favourites for the role, but who are the other contenders?
One of the most predictable things in football is Watford sacking a manager. Those big pots of yoghurt have a longer shelf life than most Hornets bosses.
Eight defeats in the last nine games, including that awful 3-0 home defeat to Norwich on Friday night ultimately sealed his fate. Watford's last win? The 4-1 victory over Manchester United in late November. Heady days.
The next Watford manager merry go round has already kicked into gear, and Frank Lampard tops the list. Whether he is interested in taking on a sinking ship that regularly throws its captain overboard is another question.
The usual list of names have been linked to the role. The recently sacked Premier League managers club are also snapping at Lampard's heels - former Norwich boss Daniel Farke and the deposed Everton manager Rafa Benitez are third and fourth favourites for the job.
Second favourite is Paulo Fonseca, who is linked with more jobs than he's had hot dinners…or actual managerial jobs. Spurs, Newcastle, Norwich, Everton and Wolves have all taken a sniff of Fonesca but nobody bit.
Perhaps Watford could be his next destination, especially as the big cheeses at the club prefer non-British managers. Nigel Pearson is the only Englishman to have taken the hottest of hotseats among a long list of Spaniards, Italians, Serbs and Portugeezers over the last few years.
Scott Parker is also in the mix, but that's a lazy prediction as Bournemouth are second in the Championship, so people expect high flying managers to jump ship at the drop of a hat, rather than stick out their current job.
They probably won't look at the manager of the club who sits top of the Championship - Fulham - as Marco Silva has already managed them and was sacked because of an unwarranted approach by Everton in 2018.
Finally there's Manuel Pellegrini at the same price as Benitez. His current club, Real Betis, are sitting third place in La Liga, so a leap into a relegation scrap with Watford would seem like an odd choice.
