Marco Silva Named Watford Head Coach After Resigning from Hull City

Watford have confirmed former Hull City boss Marco Silva as their new head coach on a two-year deal.

The Hornets announced the appointment on their Twitter feed on Saturday, with the 39-year-old taking over after the departure of Walter Mazzarri:

Silva arrived at Hull in January tasked with keeping the Tigers afloat in the Premier League. While the team was eventually relegated, the Portuguese impressed in the role and has done enough to earn another crack at a job in English football's top flight.

In a statement on their official website, Watford chairman Scott Duxbury expressed his delight at getting their man.

"Marco was one of the most sought-after Head Coaches in the Premier League," he said. "His pedigree and promise speaks for itself with his achievements in top divisions elsewhere across Europe, as well as his work at Hull City last season. We are delighted to have secured his services and to be welcoming a Head Coach of his profile and potential."

After a solid start under Mazzarri, Watford endured a testing end to the Premier League season, losing their last six games in a row to eventually finish just above the relegation zone in 17th.

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As such, the Hornets need some revitalisation in the summer, and based on the way he acquitted himself at Hull, Silva may be the man to provide it.

As we can see courtesy of Squawka Football, on their own patch, in particular, the Tigers were excellent:

While Hull were relegated, the fact they were able to be competitive in the battle to stay afloat towards the end of the season was a testament to Silva.

After all, the Tigers lost Robert Snodgrass and Jake Livermore in January, arguably their two best players. The club didn't invest heavily either, with out-of-favour players like Oumar Niasse and Lazar Markovic coming in on loan.

Silva energised and organised the team, though, and they turned in some memorable performances, most notably a 2-0 win over Liverpool and a draw at Manchester United.

The coach shone during his time with Olympiakos, too, winning the Greek title in the 2015-16 season. Silva also won the Portuguese Cup with Sporting CP in 2015.

The challenge for Silva will be to bring some stability to Vicarage Road, something BT Sport noted the club have not had for a while:

At Watford, the manager will inherit a large, cosmopolitan squad of players, although there's no doubt some fresh faces will come in who better suit his blueprint.

There is some talent to work with, most notably in the form of talismanic skipper Troy Deeney and midfield powerhouse Etienne Capoue. Provided Silva can build around the quality already at the club and get his own principles across in pre-season, all signs point to a positive 2017-18 for the Hornets with him in charge.