Friday 5 June 2015 16:41, UK
Sky Sports Spanish football pundit Guillem Balague is tipping Quique Sanchez Flores to be a success at Vicarage Road.
Watford have confirmed the appointment of the former Valencia and Benfica boss on a two-year contract and Balague believes him to be the perfect fit for the club as they prepare to return to the Premier League after an eight-year absence.
Flores guided Atletico Madrid to the Europa League title in 2010 with a win over Fulham in the final. After several years coaching in the United Arab Emirates, the 50-year-old returned to Spain earlier this year to take charge of former club Getafe, before resigning after less than two months in charge.
Balague told Sky Sports News HQ: "He's a well-prepared, experienced coach who speaks good English and has been abroad already at Benfica and in the Middle East. He generally likes good football and maximises what he has got at his disposal.
"Unlike other coaches who maybe come to the Premier League unprepared, Sanchez Flores has been thinking about this for a long while. That's why when things didn't go well at Getafe (he left in February) he said 'Well, I'd better go and keep preparing myself for this opportunity' and now it has come it and he's already looking forward to it of course.
He speaks really well and he writes columns on football
"He's a well read man, he speaks really well and he writes columns on football. He's a great communicator. He showed when he was at Valencia what he is capable of as he took them to third in the league and to a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea.
"His teams tend to be very balanced, he's a disciple of Rafa Benitez; whatever you have, you take the maximum from the squad.
"He knows exactly what Watford is about. The target of the club seems to be to develop players in such a way that they can sell them on and also survive in the Premier League.
"The head coach will work under that philosophy because there is no such thing as a manager in Spain. His main role will be to coach the team and he knows how to delegate."
Slavisa Jokanovic left the club last month having secured promotion to the top flight and Balague believes the Serbian may yet re-surface at another English club.
He said: "I think Jokanovic would like to stay in England. I think it became quite clear to him that Watford were looking at someone else. He would be happy to be involved at Championship level and try and do what he did with Watford with another club."
