{"id":79904,"date":"2026-02-05T14:36:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?p=79904"},"modified":"2026-02-05T14:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T14:36:00","slug":"watford-spaniard-diego-martinez-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/watford-spaniard-diego-martinez-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Watford Considering Spaniard Diego Martinez To Become Next Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Spanish manager Diego Martinez could be under consideration to become the next manager at Watford.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Hornets are looking for a new man in the dugout after Javi Gracia&#8217;s surprise resignation at the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Interim head coach Charlie Daniels has put his cards on the table by stating he wants the job on a full-time basis, while Will Still is the current favourite to become the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/next-watford-manager-odds\/\">next Watford Manager.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Why Watford Could Appoint Diego Martinez<\/h2>\n<p>Martinez is currently out of work after he failed to keep Las Palmas in La Liga at the end of the last season.<\/p>\n<p>The 45-year-old Spaniard is held in high regard by Watford owner Gino Pozzo due to the success he had during his time at Granada.<\/p>\n<p>Martinez was appointed Granada boss in 2018, two years after Pozzo had sold his shares in the club.<\/p>\n<p>During Pozzo&#8217;s reign, he gained back-to-back promotions and secured top-flight football for the first time in 35 years.<\/p>\n<p>Martinez then continued the success that was built under the Italian&#8217;s regime, finishing seventh in La Liga while also reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the players Mart\u00ednez coached at Granada were former Pozzo-owned or scouted players.<\/p>\n<p>He is also cut from the same cloth as other Pozzo favourites like Gracia or Quique S\u00e1nchez Flores\u2014tactically disciplined and experienced in managing high-pressure environments.<\/p>\n<p>Martinez carries plenty of managerial experience with stints at Olympiacos, Espanyol and Osasuna.<\/p>\n<h2>Diego Martinez Studied The English Game<\/h2>\n<p>While he&#8217;s never managed in England, he was linked with the vacant Watford position four years ago following the dismissal of Claudio Ranieri.<\/p>\n<p>After departing Granada in 2021, he spent time in the UK attending football matches and spending time with fellow managers.<\/p>\n<p>Notable figures include Pep Guardiola, Rafa Benitez at Everton and Xisco Munoz during his spell at Watford.<\/p>\n<p>He also explored the lower tiers, such as Biggleswade United, when they were under the ownership of Spaniard Guillem Balague.<\/p>\n<h2>Who Else Is Linked With Watford?<\/h2>\n<p>Pozzo will need to decide whether to stick with Daniels until the end of the season, when a larger pool of managerial targets will be available, or make a swift appointment.<\/p>\n<p>Daniels watched his side draw 0-0 away at Hull City during the week, and his side impressed for long periods.<\/p>\n<p>Watford currently sit in eighth, just three points off the play-offs and will still fancy their chances of forcing a way into the top six, given the wide-open nature of the Championship.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside Still, who was sacked from Southampton earlier in the season, former Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes is also being linked.<\/p>\n<p>Ex-Blackburn Rovers manager Jon Dahl Tomasson is currently 8\/1, ahead of David Wagner.<\/p>\n<p>Martinez is currently 10\/1 to take the vacant position.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spanish manager Diego Martinez could be under consideration to become the next manager at Watford.\u00a0 The Hornets are looking for a new man in the dugout after Javi Gracia&#8217;s surprise resignation at the weekend. Interim head coach Charlie Daniels has put his cards on the table by stating he wants the job on a full-time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":456,"featured_media":79915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[143,2316],"class_list":["post-79904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-watford","tag-watford-manager"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Watford Considering Diego Martinez To Become Next Manager<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Granada and Spanish manager Diego Martinez could be under consideration to become the next manager at Watford.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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