Breaking News: Watford confirm Walter Mazzarri as new boss following Quique Sanchez Flores departure

Watford have confirmed Walter Mazzarri as the club's new boss following the departure of Quique Sanchez Flores from Vicarage Road.

The 54-year-old former Inter Milan boss becomes the Hornets' eighth head coach in the last four years and joins on a three-year deal.

Flores was dumped by the club despite leading them to the FA Cup semi-finals and securing their Premier League survival with a month to spare.

Owner Gino Pozzo was alarmed by Watford's slump in the second half of the season and decided to make a change ahead of the new campaing.

Mazzarri will take over on July 1.

After an unremarkable playing career in his native Italy, Pozzo moved into management in 2001.
He was runner up in the Coppa Italia with Sampdoria in 2009, before winning the trophy with Napoli three years later.

Pozzo led Napoli to a second-place finish in 2013, before moving to Inter Milan. He left the San Siro in November 2014, and has been out of management since.

Hornets skipper Troy Deeney recently questioned the 'crazy' decision to sack Flores, who had become a firm favourite with the Vicarage Road crowd during his one-season tenure.
 
“I can’t stress enough, he’s had an excellent season. Obviously him and the club have decided to part ways and we respect that," the striker said.

“The target at the start of the season was to stay up and we’ve done that, so fair play to him. His time here has been a success. Sixteen new players and he’s made it look effortless.

“Sunderland have been in the bottom three, managed to stay up and Sam Allardyce is being hailed as a great manager – which he is, for keeping them up.

“But we’ve seemingly coasted through this season and our gaffer’s been sacked. It’s one of those crazy ones.”