Next Watford Manager Odds: Main Contenders To Replace Ed Still At Vicarage Road

Watford are once again looking for a new manager after Ed Still was sacked less than three months into his reign.

The Hornets were in the top half of the table when Still replaced Javi Gracia on a two-and-a-half-year deal in February, but he oversaw just three wins in 15 games which resulted in a 16th-place finish.

There have been 14 permanent managers at Vicarage Road since September 2019, so who will be brave enough to accept a managerial offer from trigger-happy owner Gino Pozzo?

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Former Cardiff boss Erol Bulut is the early favourite on betting sites, but there are plenty of other candidates in the mix to replace Still.

We take a look at the main contenders and the latest next Watford manager odds.

Will Hornets Get On Bulut Train?

Bulut had a successful playing career in Greece and his native Turkey, where he also had some success as a manager.

He started at newly-promoted Yeni Malatyaspor, keeping them in the top flight in 2017/18 and guiding the club to the semi-finals of the Turkish Cup in the following season.

Bulut resigned with five games remaining, but soon turned up at Alanyaspor, who secured a spot in the Europa League qualification rounds for the first time with a fifth-placed finish under his stewardship in the 2019/20 season.

However, a return to his former club Fenerbahce as head coach in 2020 did not go well and although his subsequent reign at Cardiff started promisingly, he was sacked in September 2024 after a terrible start to the Championship season.

Bulut returned to Turkey, taking charge of Antalyaspor last October, but he was axed before Christmas and has been out of work since.

For a man who has struggled to replicate his early successes, Bulut is a shaky favourite with betting apps.

Next Watford Manager Odds:

Free Mason Can Bring Sting Back To Hornets’ Nest    

Ryan Mason had plenty of coaching experience at Tottenham under the likes of Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou.

The former Spurs midfielder has also twice been placed in interim charge of the club, but he got his first big break as the top dog at West Brom this season.

Much was expected of Mason when he penned a three-year-contract last June, but the Baggies won just nine of their 27 Championship games while he was at the helm.

West Brom were 18th in the table when Mason was sacked in the first week of 2026, so it has been an inauspicious start to his managerial career.

That said, he has worked with highly-decorated coaches and had some success as a temporary manager in north London, so it is no surprise to see him at 6/4 in the next Watford manager odds.

Still At The Double?

One shock name towards the head of the market is Ed’s brother Will, who is priced at 2/1.

It has not been a great return to their English roots for the Still brothers. Will lasted just five months at Southampton before he was shown the door at the start of November.

However, he caused a stir in France at Ligue 1 club Reims where he was an assistant to Oscar Garcia until the Spaniard was sacked in October 2022.

Still won his first five games as caretaker manager which resulted in him being appointed head coach until the end of the season.

Remarkably, Reims were unbeaten in Still’s first 14 games in charge in all competitions, including two draws against leaders PSG.

Will was assisted by both of his brothers for his next appointment at Lens, who finished eighth in his one season with the club.

Unfortunately, his move to St Mary’s did not go as well, winning just two of his 13 matches which resulted in his dismissal in early November.

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Selles Pitch 

Ruben Selles failed to keep Southampton in the Premier League following two spells as caretaker manager in the 2022/23 season, but he worked wonders during an 18-month spell as Reading boss.

Despite working under severe financial constraints and a six-point penalty, the Spaniard steered a young side away from relegation trouble in League One during the 2023/24 campaign.

That will be appealing to the Watford board, which put its faith in youth for the 2025/26 season.

He left the Royals to join Hull City at the end of 2024, but failed to have the same impact and was dismissed in May, despite securing the club’s Championship status.

The less said about his spell at Sheffield United the better. Selles oversaw just six games as Blades boss, all of which ended in defeat, and he was sacked in the middle of September.

He was soon back in work at Zaragoza, who were bottom of the Segunda Division when he was appointed, but that spell lasted just over four months, having won just five of his 20 games in charge.

Gerrard In The Frame 

There are some major figures in the frame for the Watford job such as Steven Gerrard, who famously prevented Celtic from winning the Scottish Premiership title for a 10th successive time when he was in charge at Rangers.

The Liverpool legend has been out of work since leaving Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq at the start of 2025, although he turned down the chance to return to Ibrox when Russell Martin was shown the door.

Gerrard is 6/1 for the Hornets job, just behind 5/1 shot Jack Wilshere, who was only a Wigan equaliser away from leading Luton to the League One play-offs.

Wilshere has experience of coaching in the Championship, taking the reins on a temporary basis at the end of last season when Norwich parted ways with Johannes Hoff Thorup.

Solskjaer And Parker Available

Elsewhere, former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can be backed at 7/1, just ahead of Scott Parker (8/1), recently sacked by Burnley.

Solskjaer had a disappointing spell in the Championship as Cardiff manager, in contrast to Parker, who led the Clarets back to the Premier League.

Ferencvaros coach Robbie Keane is probably setting his sights higher than Watford, but is 10/1, while Liam Rosenior is 12/1.

Rosenior had a tortuous spell as Chelsea boss, but his work at Hull City and Strasbourg earned plenty of plaudits.

Former Watford defender Sean Dyche, who spent 10 seasons with Burnley, and had difficult spells at Everton and Nottingham Forest, is 14/1 to return to Vicarage Road.

* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.

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