Highly-respected football director Ross Wilson is set to leave the Hornets, the Watford Observer can exclusively reveal.

Wilson joined the club last summer from Falkirk and made an immediate impact, with Hornets legend Graham Taylor quickly claiming the Scot would reach the Premier League, with or without the Golden Boys.

We understand the club have been in talks with the 30-year-old, pictured, over a possible departure because technical director Gian Luca Nani now looks after player recruitment.

It is unclear whether Wilson, who is a well-liked member of staff, has another job lined up.

Derby County expressed an interest in hiring Wilson earlier this year but the Rams’ chief executive, Tom Glick, will be joining Manchester City in August.

Watford have yet to comment on Wilson’s pending departure – or that of three other members of staff who have effectively left – but the club did announce the arrival of eight new members of staff this week.

Several of the changes were already known, as the Watford Observer reported on the issue last week.

Former assistant manager Ian Woan, ex-coach Tony Loughlan and the old head of medical Dave Hart stopped working at Watford once Gianfranco Zola’s appointment was announced two weeks ago.

They were replaced by assistant coaches Giancarlo Corradini and Dodo Sormani and head of medical Marco Cesarini but the club decided against confirming the changes. Sormani is a former Napoli coach and Corradini used to work at Juventus.

The other five appointments are head of rehabilitation Giorgio Gasparini, football operations manager Richard Line, recruitment scout Filippo Giraldi, scouting network co-ordinator Robert Leeson and scouting co-ordinator Luke Warrington.

Goalkeeping coach Alec Chamberlain, sports scientist Matt Springham, video and performance technician Dave Stephens, assistant fitness coach Ben Dixon, kit manager Will Jones and youth team coach David Hughes have all been listed as still being at the club.