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Watford Football Club have taken the move to terminate Paulo Pezzolano's tenure after just five months and 10 matches in charge, announcing the reappointment of former boss the Spanish coach as his replacement.

It is understood that Pezzolano, appointed in May to take over from the interim manager, along with his technical staff, were told not to lead training on midweek as speculation about his exit grew on the previous day.

The 40-year-old was summoned for a discussion where he became the 11th head coach Watford have let go since the beginning of 2020.

"We are very pleased to welcome back Gracia," said the club's chief executive. "His passion, guidance and well-defined plan will foster consistency, unity and momentum.

"We believe there are many supporters who hoped Javi had stayed on in the past. With this young and exciting team, we are certain his experience and qualities are exactly what we need at this moment."

Gracia guided Watford to the FA Cup showpiece for the second time in the club's history in that year, but was sacked a few matches into the following campaign and last managed at Leeds in 2023.

"Personally, the emotion I have in this moment is that I'm going back home. It was the most enjoyable period of my professional life," Gracia stated. "I have very good recollections and we have unfinished business here. For us, it's a further significant move in our career.

"This is something special for us, and simultaneously we are very ambitious for this season. If we are together, we are stronger."

Pezzolano's sacking comes even after their win against Oxford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, which lifted them to eleventh place in the Championship after a slow start that yielded a handful of points from the first six games.

Pezzolano is said to have departed disappointed by the decision to sack him, having led the side to a undefeated streak of three games that featured a victory at home over Hull City and a draw at Portsmouth, placing them three points off the promotion playoffs.

The coach joined shortly after the conclusion of the previous campaign with a strong record of guiding teams to advancement in La Liga, South America and his home country.