New Watford head coach Valerien Ismael is aiming to add an ex-Watford player to his coaching staff before the start of pre-season.

When Ismael’s arrival was announced there were no coaching staff named, and it’s believed one of the reasons is that Ismael would like to get a former Hornet on board.

The Watford Observer understands that at least three players who would all be regarded as legends at Vicarage Road have been contacted to sound them out.

It seems that Ismael has quickly identified the huge disconnect between the club and the fans following two dismal seasons on the field.

However, he would not be making the addition to his backroom staff on purely sentimental grounds.

He is looking for someone with coaching experience at the Championship level or higher, or an ex-player more recently retired from the game who has got their coaching badges or is due to complete them soon.

It’s a direction that the club has taken more recently, with former players Richard Johnson and Jimmy Gilligan now the key figures within the club’s Academy set-up.

Both those players were managed by the great Graham Taylor, and clearly bring much of the ethos and approach that made him so successful.

There is no indication that any of the current playing staff at the club are being considered as one of the possible coaching options.

Ironically ex-Watford managers have featured quite prominently in the Premier League currently, with Sean Dyche (Everton), Marco Silva (Fulham) and Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace) still in jobs, while Javi Gracia and Brendan Rodgers were recently in charge at Leeds United and Leicester respectively.