WATFORD, England (AP) — Watford fired Xisco Munoz after less than a year in charge on Sunday, making him the first managerial departure of the Premier League season.
The Spaniard is the 14th manager to leave the club in a decade. His dismissal came with Watford 14th in the standings with seven points from the opening seven games — the last a 1-0 loss at Leeds on Saturday.
“The board feels recent performances strongly indicate a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving,” Watford said.
The 41-year-old former Valencia and Real Betis winger took charge at Vicarage Road last December after previously coaching Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia.
He guided Watford back to the Premier League with a second-placed finish in the Championship last season. Watford, which is owned by the Italian Pozzo family, said the appointment of a new manager was “imminent.”
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