Claudio Ranieri and his coaching staff are expecting to be sacked from their positions at Watford, the Watford Observer understands.

Yesterday club chiefs were mulling over whether or not they should remove the head coach from his role, following a catastrophic 3-0 defeat at home to relegation rivals Norwich City.

And while Ranieri is yet to be informed of any official decision, or even be called to a meeting with his bosses, sources close to the Italian have this evening explained to the Watford Observer that he and his backroom staff are now expecting to be moved on.

The mood around the club has been described as "really bad" with dressing room sources explaining to the Observer yesterday that they too were bracing themselves for news of their coach's departure.

Meanwhile, reports in both the Mail and the Telegraph have suggested that the board has already made a decision, and will remove the 70-year-old once they have lined up a suitable replacement.

Since his arrival at Vicarage Road, Ranieri has claimed just two wins and 11 defeats from 14 matches, a record that has seen Watford slip into the relegation zone for the first time this season.

Some of those losses were accompanied by encouraging performances, with games against the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea buying Ranieri both time and good will with those above him at the club, with whom he has a good relationship.

Additionally, postponements due to Covid-19 and losing valuable squad members to both injuries and the African Cup of Nations also garnered him some sympathy.

However, the style in which Watford dropped into the bottom three on Friday night rang alarm bells for club chiefs, who are desperate to retain Premier League status this season.

And with a two week gap sitting between the Hornets and their next game, now could be an advantageous moment to give someone new a bit of time to get to know their squad before taking charge of their first match, which would be another massive game, away against Burnley on February 5.

While no decision has officially been made as of yet, it seems highly unlikely Ranieri will be in charge at Turf Moor in two weeks' time.