Watford have issued a firm ‘no comment’ in response to online stories that they are poised to replace head coach Tom Cleverley with the former Villareal manager José Rojo Martín, more commonly known as Pacheta.

The 56-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Villareal in November after 12 games in charge – prior to that he had worked for the likes of Valladolid, Elche and Huesca.

Cleverley took charge of the Hornets in March last year, initially on an interim basis before getting the job permanently having steered Watford away from a possible relegation battle.

Despite seeing more than £30m-worth of players, including the club’s Player and Young Player of the Season, depart in the summer, Cleverley has moulded a successful squad with only £3m invested in signings.

The Hornets started the season with five successive wins and have been either in or just outside the play-off places all season.

Recent results and performances have not been so good, with only one win in eight, but Watford are still just a point outside the top six.

Cleverley is a true fans favourite, having played for the club more than 180 times and captained them on many occasions.

Terrace chants at the last couple of games have shown vociferous backing for him, despite the current form, but Watford – and in particular owner Gino Pozzo – have a track record for sacking head coaches.

Valerien Ismael was dismissed last March, and the season before that Rob Edwards, Slaven Bilic and Chris Wilder all came and went.

Since the Pozzos bought the club in 2012 they have appointed 19 different permanent head coaches – one of them twice – and the Hornets have become the byword for trigger-happy clubs and the target of many jokes.

But with the team currently seven places higher than they finished last term, the play-offs still within easy reach and a coaching staff packed full of people who know Watford inside out, this season has felt different both on and off the pitch.

However, only one new signing during the January transfer window so far – and that a loanee from sister club Udinese – has not shown a great deal of backing for Cleverley.

Then today a number of different Spanish media and sports news outlets began linking the Hornets with Pacheta.

The modus operandi of the club has, on most occasions when they were preparing to change head coach, been to identify and sound out the intended replacement.

Indeed, Cleverley was different as he was already at Vicarage Road as Under-18s coach and is the only internal appointment the Pozzos have made.

One Spanish journalist on Twitter, @__AngelGarcia__, wrote “Do you remember that I told you that Pacheta was going to the Championship? Well he has closed his arrival at Watford FC. Soon, official.”

The Watford Observer is also aware of reports that Pacheta has been promised ‘major finances’ in order to help get Watford back to the Premier League.

While the club have declined to say anything, as the rumours spread so the reaction of the vast majority of Watford fans' became apparent, with some talking of the need for protests should the stories be true.

Cleverley carried out his weekly pre-match press conference at London Colney this lunchtime as usual, and was focussed purely on the trip to Coventry on Saturday.

He has been head coach for 40 games, making him the second longest-serving since Javi Gracia left in 2019 – in the five and a half years since, Watford have had 11 permanent head coaches.