Marco Silva has revealed the ambition shown to him by the Pozzo family convinced him to sign a two-year contract to become Watford’s new head coach.
Although he failed to keep Hull City in the Premier League last season, the Portuguese coach impressed during his short time in position having succeeded Mike Phelan in January. His contract included a clause which allowed him to leave if the club were relegated, and as widely expected, he didn’t waste too much time in announcing his departure from the KC Stadium.
In the past week Silva has been linked with a number of jobs, most notably back in his homeland with Benfica and also at Crystal Palace, who were left reeling by Sam Allardyce’s resignation on Monday. But after holding talks with the Vicarage Road board over the past couple of days, the 39-year-old was bowled over by their ambition and has signed a two-year deal.
“Firstly, I really like the approach of the board and the owner,” he told the official club website. “They showed me the project and I like the ambition. The club want to improve and this is what I try to fight for in my career as well – to always improve, to do a good job and to ensure a good connection between the manager and the club. The ambition this club has is really important to me.
“The club is moving forward as a Premier League club, but we always want to improve our position in the table and that’s important for next season. We want to play good football, so that our fans feel well when they come to see our team play. We’ll work hard every day to prepare for the matches and to do our best in every game. This confidence I will pass to our players and to our fans as well.”
The Pozzo family have hired a fired a series of manager since taking charge of the club in the summer of 2012, and Silva becomes their ninth boss during this time. Last season Walter Mazzarri finished 17th in the Premier League but lost his last six matches, including a final day 5-0 hammering to Manchester City at home, and before him Sanchez Flores led them to 13th and an FA Cup semi-final.
