Francesco Guidolin is to become the “supervisor” of Watford and the two other Pozzo-owned clubs, Udinese and Granada.

The 58-year-old has retired as coach of Udinese after a 13th-place finish in Serie A and his new role was revealed by the club’s sporting director Christian Giaretta at a press conference this lunchtime.

“From next season he will no longer be the coach of Udinese, but take on the role of technical supervisor,” Giaretta said, as reported by football-italia.net “Guidolin will supervise the three teams of the Pozzo family. We wish him all the best.”

It is not yet clear what Guidolin’s new role will involve, or what it means for the Hornets, but the man who guided Udinese to fourth and third place in the Italian top flight after returning to the club in 2010 told the media: “This is a wonderful day for me, because I will no longer be a coach, but I can remain here.

“I am pleased to stay here, give my contribution and face this new challenge. A new adventure begins and I am curious to see how it goes.

“It’s no coincidence I chose to wear a jacket at this conference, because there are going to be some changes. It’s a new phase of my life.

“I have so many games behind me. I don’t know how I will settle into this new role. I also feel a little sadness, but I want to underline this is entirely my choice. It is what’s best for me.

“Over the next few days I will be at the disposal of the club, then I’ll begin a lovely vacation and after that start working on this new job.”