Former Premier League champion Claudio Ranieri has returned to the English top-flight on Monday after the Italian was appointed as Watford’s new manager. The Hornets appointed the former Chelsea and Leicester City manager to take over the helm from promotion-winning manager Xisco Munoz, who became the latest victim of Watford’s ruthless managerial merry-go-round.
Ranieri, who won the Premier League with Leicester against all odds in the 2015/16 season, was signed on a two-year contract, having left Serie A side Sampdoria during the summer off-season.
The 69-year old, who also had experience with the likes of Fiorentina, Juventus, and Valencia, was tasked in improving Watford’s fortunes. The newly-promoted side are 15th in the Premier League table, having won only two of their opening seven games to the season.
Since the Pozzo family took over Watford in 2012, the club has become notorious for becoming a managerial graveyard, with 14 managers going in and out of the club during the Pozzos’ 9-year ownership. Other than Xisco, who departed on Sunday, victims of Watford’s managerial merry-go-round include Nigel Pearson, Quique Sanchez Flores (twice), Javi Gracia, Slavisa Jokanovic, Marco Silva, and Walter Mazzarri.
Having taken charge of 21 clubs in his 35-year long career, Ranieri has assumed control of three Premier League teams.
He was the final manager of the pre-Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea and he subsequently became the first manager working underneath the Russian after the 2003 takeover, with the emergence of players such as John Terry, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, and Wayne Bridge being accredited to his name.
Ranieri then famously lifted the Premier League with Leicester in 2015/16, uniting together a ragtag bunch of players into a single cohesive winning unit. Endearing himself as a Leicester legend for life, Ranieri was responsible for the rise of players such as N’Golo Kante, Jamie Vardy, and Riyad Mahrez.
Unlike Chelsea and Leicester, Ranieri’s tenure at his third Premier League club was less successful. Taking charge of Chelsea’s West London rivals Fulham in the 2018/19 season, the Italian was tasked with saving the Cottagers from relegation, but could only win 3 out of his 17 matches in charge despite managing a talented squad boasting names such as Andre Schurrle, Luciano Vietto, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ryan Sessegnon, and Jean Michael Seri. He was sacked in February of 2019, being replaced by Scott Parker.
Ranieri’s first match with Watford will be a tough home encounter with title-favorites Liverpool on October 16th, after the international break.