Watford next manager: Portsmouth hero among favourites as Cleverley sacked
Portsmouth are looking forward to another season in the EFL Championship, and will hope to progress further up the table.
Pompey secured survival with games to spare in their first Championship campaign in 12 years, despite operating on one of the lowest budgets in the division.
They ended the season in 16th place in the Championship, just three points behind a more established side in Watford, who have now parted ways with manager Tom Cleverley.
Watford sacked their former midfielder after a dismal end to the season saw them lose four of their last five games, and will now search for a new head coach.
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho could move to Watford
John Mousinho is a popular figure at Fratton Park, having achieved promotion from League One last year before leading Portsmouth on their impressive campaign in the second division.
His work has not gone unnoticed, and many across the Championship are admirers of his work at Portsmouth, as one of the longest-serving managers in the division.
| Championship – longest-serving managers | Spell in charge |
| Michael Carrick – Middlesbrough | 2 years, 190 days |
| John Mousinho – Portsmouth | 2 years, 102 days |
| Daniel Farke – Leeds United | 1 year, 302 days |
Sportscaster have now revealed that Mousinho is among the favourites to replace Cleverley at Watford.
Former Leicester boss Steve Cooper and Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic are the two key names tipped to take over at Vicarage Road, but Mousinho is third in line, with odds of him replacing Cleverley set at 9/1.
Mousinho should reject Watford for Portsmouth stay
If Mousinho is offered the Watford job, he would be wise to reject it in favour of staying at Portsmouth.
Watford have consistently changed managers every year for over a decade, with no stability at the club regardless of who is in charge, and every coach has left with their reputation diving.
If Mousinho joins Watford, it appears likely that he will be out of a job within a year, given how Watford operate, and he would be better off staying at Fratton Park.
There was only a three-point gap between the two sides despite the different resources on offer, and Pompey could even overtake Watford next season.
It would make little sense for a coach with a promising reputation such as Mousinho to join Watford and risk his hard work being shattered in a disastrous spell, rather than continuing his project at Portsmouth.