Watford FC has announced the appointment of Claudio Ranieri as the club's new Head Coach, on a two-year contract.

The 69-year-old returns to the Premier League, some 30 months after he was sacked by Fulham.

"The Italian arrives at Vicarage Road boasting a wealth of experience in charge of some of Europe's biggest clubs, with Premier League, Coppa Italia and Copa del Rey titles among his managerial highlights," Watford FC said in a statement.

This is Ranieri's fourth stint in the Premier League, having managed Chelsea between 2000-2004, Leicester City between 2015-2017 and Fulham between 2018-2019.

He delivered one of the greatest footballing shocks of all time by guiding the unfancied Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2016.

The Italian will be joined at Watford by assistant coaches Paolo Benetti and Carlo Cornacchia as well as the fitness coach Carlo Spignoli. His first match in charge of the team will be at home to Liverpool on October 16.