"I hope to stay here for a lot of matches" - Alessio Dionisi was born on April 1st, but he's nobody's fool
29.07.26, 17:32 Updated 04.08.26, 13:47 8 Minute Read
Mike Walters
The players like him, which is a good start.
And his English is better than predecessor Paulo Pezzolano, the last head coach to kick off a new season at Vicarage Road, who was soon constricted by a gossamer-thin grasp of the language.
In a meeting with Gian Luca Nani, when the group sporting director began the conversation in his native Italian, new Watford boss Alessio Dionisi immediately interrupted and insisted they spoke in English because he is determined to become more fluent instead of leaning on an interpreter and a handful of buzzwords.
Dionisi is the 23rd different permanent head coach of the Pozzo era at Vicarage Road, and the fifth Italian after Gianfranco Zola, Beppe Sannino, Walter Mazzarri and Claudio Ranieri.
Become a member today.
The Watford Word needs its community to support independent, high-quality coverage of Watford. Subscribe to a monthly or annual package today to be a part of something special.
Already have an account? Sign in
Related Topics
Mike Walters spent 40 years on Fleet Street as a top sports writer and a regular in the Press box at Vicarage Road. His first game as a wide-eyed Watford fan was a 5-0 FA Cup win against Reading 55 years ago and, coupled with his national newspaper experience, few supporters are better-equipped to cover English football's original family club.