Watford manager Javi Gracia has resigned less than 24 hours after his team lost to Swansea City on Saturday.
Gracia, 55, returned to Vicarage Road in October after previously managing the Hornets from January 2018 until September 2019.
The Spaniard succeeded Paulo Pezzolano, who was fired after only 10 games of the season, and won eight of his 20 league matches in command.
However, following Watford’s 2-0 defeat to the Swans, which extended their winless streak to five games in all competitions, Gracia has submitted his resignation.
Watford released a statement expressing disappointment in Javi Gracia’s departure as Head Coach.We still believe Javi was the right man to spearhead the club’s promotion campaign, but Javi felt he lacked desire and was not the appropriate person to continue coaching this talented bunch of young players.
We respect his decision and approve his request to quit Vicarage Road with immediate effect.
Charlie Daniels, Dan Gosling, and Adrian Mariappa will take charge of Watford’s match against Hull City on Tuesday.
The statement added: ‘We are well placed in the Championship, four points from the play-offs with a game in hand and 17 games remaining.’The club feels confident in its squad’s ability to compete for promotion.We’d like to thank Javi and his crew for their efforts across two spells with the club. We wish him and his family the best and assure them that they will always be welcomed at Watford.
Following Watford’s 10th-place finish against Swansea on Saturday, Gracia expressed his want to speak with club owner Gino Pozzo.We are in a very terrible situation,” Gracia told BBC Three Counties Radio.I anticipated this possibility prior to the game.Some players are wounded, some are gone, some are returning, and some are playing in discomfort. The latest results reflect the team’s current performance.I’d like to speak with the owner about my disappointment with the team’s performance, current status, and potential future.We are not as optimistic as we were about the team’s enthusiasm and attitude right now.
Gracia previously led Watford to 11th place in the Premier League during his only full season in charge, as well as the FA Cup final.
He leaves Vicarage Road with a total of 33 wins from 87 games in charge throughout his two tenure.
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