Watford have confirmed that Craig Shakespeare has joined Nigel Pearson’s backroom team as assistant head coach, as per Sky Sports.
Antonio Diaz Carlavilla, Juan Carlos Oliva Fornos, Dean Austin, Oscar Garcia and Cote Gallardo were all sacked along with manager Quique Sanchez Flores following the 2-1 defeat by Southampton last weekend.
That leaves Pearson, who has been appointed until the end of the season, with several gaps to fill.
Shakespeare worked alongside him during two separate spells at Leicester, with a short stint at Hull City sandwiched in between. Pearson was widely credited with laying the foundations for the Foxes’ Premier League triumph under Claudio Ranieri in 2015/16.
Shakespeare remained on Ranieri’s staff when Pearson was sacked in the summer of 2015 and when the Italian himself was fired in February 2017, he was appointed as the manager and memorably led the club to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
He has also worked alongside Sam Allardyce for England and Everton.
Shakespeare returns to football after being out of work since leaving Everton as a first-team coach in May 2018. Pearson and Shakespeare face a challenge to preserve Watford’s top-flight status since the club have won just one of their 16 Premier League games this season.
Pearson was appointed as head coach last week, with Watford currently bottom of the Premier League, two points behind Norwich. Interestingly, Shakespeare is a former teammate of new boss Pearson as the duo played together at Sheffield Wednesday.
Watford have made a dismal start to the season and have as few as 9 points from 16 games, having managed a solitary win under 3 different managers. They have been found wanting at the back several times and have conceded 30 goals already.
To make matters worse, the Hornets have not been good on the other end of the pitch either. They have just scored 9 goals in the league and injuries have not helped Watford. Captain and centre-forward Troy Deeney has been unable to guide his team since he is out on the sidelines following a knee operation.
Centre-back Craig Dawson is stepping up his recovery from a head wound, while Daryl Janmaat (knee), Tom Cleverley (heel), Danny Welbeck (hamstring), Sebastian Prodl (knee) and Jose Holebas (ankle) all continue their own rehabilitation.
Verdict
Watford have been struggling in the Premier League and are rooted to the bottom of the table. In Nigel Pearson and Craig Shakespeare, they have hired two experienced men who have been in a relegation battle in the past and yet, came out on the right side.
Shakespeare, in particular, has guided Leicester to the Champions League quarter-finals after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. Having a cool head, he is the right man to save Watford from a possible relegation scrap.