Big Tom Cleverley, Watford FC sack news may have Cardiff City and these 2 other EFL clubs on red alert | OneFootball

Following the sacking of Tom Cleverly, FLW have selected three EFL clubs with managerial vacancies who could be interested in taking him on.

In what came as somewhat of a surprise, Watford have made the decision to sack manager Tom Cleverley following the conclusion of the 2024-25 Championship season.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but perhaps it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Gino Pozzo has wielded his much-used axe once more, just months after publicly backing the ex-Man United midfielder.

It has been seen as somewhat of a harsh dismissal of Cleverley by the Hornets hierarchy, and it won't be too long before he steps into another job - let's take a look at THREE clubs who will surely be looking at his situation with much intrigue.Cardiff City

The 2024/25 season was a bit of a disaster for Cardiff City. They failed to win any of their last eight Championship matches and were relegated at the foot of the second tier table.

Cardiff are another club who have had a season with three different managers. Erol Bulut was sacked in September after taking just one point from their first six Championship games of the season and replaced by Omer Riza on an interim basis.

Riza was given the job on a permanent basis on December 5, despite having failed to win any of his previous five games, but with the trigger-happy Vincent Tan still running the club - Cardiff's next permanent appointment will be their ninth since that 2019 relegation - he didn't last long in the position.

Riza was sacked on April 19 following a 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United and replaced by another interim manager in the form of Welsh icon Aaron Ramsey - Cardiff were relegated to League One two games later, following a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion.

There's a lot of work to do at the Cardiff City Stadium this summer and owner Tan can be a law unto himself at times, but Cleverley is already used to working with owners who err towards the eccentric end of the spectrum, in the form of Gino Pozzo at Watford.

But there is also an opportunity for Cleverley if City make their move. Cardiff will likely start next season among the favourites for promotion back to the Championship. As a reasonably big fish in a smaller pond, Cleverley could have the chance to shine there and start to work his way up the pyramid.

Norwich City

Norwich finished the season one place above Cleverley's Watford side on goal difference in 14th, but they also sacked manager Johannes Hoff Thorup at the end of April after less than a year in charge following his move from Nordsjaelland.

Jack Wilshere is in charge on an interim basis currently and is the favourite to get the job permanently, but Cleverley is more experienced, and has already been linked with the role.

The Sun's Alan Nixon reported that Cleverley was on the shortlist at Carrow Road, and now that he's been sacked, he's a manager that won't require compensation.

That could prove more attractive for Norwich if they haven't settled on Wilshere, but their options are still very much open for now.

Queens Park Rangers

Another club in the throes of Championship mid-table stagnation, Queens Park Rangers finished last season one place below Cleverley's Watford in the table and a point behind them too.

Marti Cifuentes joined the club in October 2023 and almost made it to the end of the 2024/25 season, but he was placed on gardening leave amid links to West Brom before their last game of the season away to Sunderland, which they won 1-0 under temporary assistant coaches Kevin Betsy and Xavi Calm.

QPR are certainly a club crying out for change. This season marked their tenth in the Championship since they were last relegated from the Premier League, and in that time they've only finished above 12th position once, and never higher than ninth.

Cifuentes was an ambitious coach who clearly wanted a bit more than what he was getting, but Cleverley could potentially walk into that job with part of a squad that is well-placed to be built upon with the right kind of investment.