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The Championship side have made the move to terminate their manager's tenure after only a brief period and 10 matches in control, confirming the return of former boss the Spanish coach as his successor.

Reports suggest that the Uruguayan coach, who was hired in the spring to take over from the interim manager, along with his technical staff, were told not to take practice on midweek as speculation about his exit mounted on the previous day.

Pezzolano was summoned for a meeting where he became the 11th head coach the club have moved on since the beginning of 2020.

"The club is very pleased to welcome back Javi," said Watford's chairman and CEO. "His enthusiasm, guidance and well-defined plan will help us build consistency, unity and momentum.

"We believe many fans who hoped Javi had stayed on in the past. With this young and exciting team, we are convinced his experience and qualities are exactly what we require now."

Gracia guided Watford to the FA Cup final for the only other occasion in the club's history in 2019, but was dismissed several games into the next season and most recently coached at Leeds United in 2023.

"Personally, the emotion I have right now is that I'm going back to a familiar place. It was the most enjoyable time of my career," he remarked. "I have fond recollections and we have loose ends here. For us, it's another important step in our career.

"This is something special for us, and at the same time we are highly motivated for this season. If we are united, we are stronger."

Pezzolano's sacking comes despite the team's win against Oxford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, which lifted them to eleventh place in the Championship after a slow start that earned five points from the initial six matches.

Pezzolano is said to have departed disappointed by the call to let him go, having led Watford to a undefeated streak of three games that featured a victory at home over Hull City and a draw at Portsmouth, leaving them within touching distance off the promotion playoffs.

The coach joined soon after the end of last season with a proven track record of guiding teams to promotion in Spain, South America and his home country.