Watford sack Ranieri after less than 4 months in charge

Claudio Ranieri's time as Watford manager ended Monday, as the Hornets dismissed the Italian after three-and-a-half months in charge, the club announced.

Ranieri was relieved of his duties following a 3-0 loss to Norwich City on Friday that left the Hornets in 19th place and two points above the bottom of the Premier League table.

"The Hornets' Board recognizes Claudio as a man of great integrity and honour, who will always be respected here at Vicarage Road for his efforts in leading the team with dignity," read a club statement. "However the Board feels that, with nearly half of the Premier League campaign remaining, a change in the Head Coach position now will give a new appointment sufficient time to work with a talented squad to achieve the immediate goal of retaining Premier League status."

Watford earned just seven points after hiring the 70-year-old to replace Xisco Munoz as manager on Oct. 4.

The club has begun searching for Ranieri's replacement in a bid to appoint its third permanent manager of the season.

After securing an impressive 4-1 win over Manchester United in November, Watford collected only one point from their next eight Premier League matches.

Ranieri masterminded Leicester City's Premier League triumph in 2015-16. Along with Leicester and Watford, Ranieri previously enjoyed spells in England with Chelsea and Fulham.