Omer Riza has been promoted from Under-21 lead coach to become Valerien Ismael’s first-team assistant coach.

Ismael has also brought in former Oxford, Sunderland and Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead as assistant head coach. The pair worked together at Turkish side Besiktas.

It’s also been announced that Jack Riley will join the coaching staff as video analyst. He worked with Ismael at West Brom and Besiktas, having started his career at Barnsley.

The Watford Observer reported recently that former players had been sounded out about potentially joining the coaching staff. Whether that is still the plan is unclear, but two of the players approached have said they have heard nothing more since that initial contact.

Riza joined the Hornets in 2018 as an Academy coach, initially working with the Under-16s before moving up to work with the Under-23s under Hayden Mullins.

When Mullins left the club, Riza stepped up to become lead coach of the Under-21s, and he spoke to the Watford Observer recently about last season with the young Hornets.

Discussing his promotion to a role with the first team, Riza said: “This is fantastic news for me and hopefully for the club as well.

“I’ve been here for six years and this is a natural progression that I have been working hard towards after receiving my pro licence last year.

“I’m looking forward to pushing our first team players and making sure the hard work and foundations this this club is built on continue.”

Whitehead started his career at Oxford United, making more than 130 appearances before joining Sunderland in 2004. He twice helped the Black Cats achieve promotion to the Premier League and clocked up 200 outings before a £3m move to Stoke in 2019.

The midfielder made more than 130 Premier League appearances for the Potters, and then had spells at Middlesbrough and Huddersfield before retiring from playing in 2018.

He coached in Huddersfield’s Academy before a stint assisting Sam Ricketts at Shrewsbury Town.

A move to Port Vale saw him working under director of football David Flitcroft, and the Valiants won promotion in the 2021/22 season.

Ismael took him to Besiktas last summer, but the pair left three months later and Whitehead moved to be first-team coach at Cardiff City, stepping up to take interim charge after Mark Hudson was sacked in January.