The departure from Watford of Technical Director Ben Manga has been confirmed by the club, and Valerien Ismael described the decision as “the next step in the process of change”.

Manga leaves along with his senior staff members Helena Costa and Rafael Tonello, the Watford Observer understands, along with a number of other scouts they appointed.

Ismael, whose expanded remit at the club includes more of the duties and functions managers have traditionally performed, was a key figure in the decision to basically remove the entire group that were only hired in December.

“When I signed for the club, I arrived knowing that it was for me to get to understand the roles and responsibilities of everyone,” he said.

“We asked the club what the positions were of everybody, because if everyone knows their job and stays within their position, then I think are no problems.

“I came in and observed everything for the first month, which is what the board wanted me to do. They wanted me to assess all the situations, all the processes, everything: the hotels we go to before games, training sessions, the gym, the training ground. Every single detail.

“I was to look at everything, assess it all and form my own opinions.

“And it was the same with everyone that is working at the club – and at some point we realised it was very crowded, the number of people around the team, around the players, around the staff.”

One of Isamel’s predecessors, Slaven Bilic also talked of too many people involved in his exclusive interview with the Watford Observer, as well as the “confusion and insecurity” that followed the arrival of Manga and his team.

It seems this was something Ismael also experienced, and was key in the decision to remove them.

“My staff started to ask questions about what people were doing, because it was very, very crowded,” he said.

“We weren’t used to working like that. Normally you have a CEO, or a Sporting Director, and they are the main people around the team.

“It was very confusing, there were too many distractions, too many voices. There were always other discussions going on.

“There were two different ways of working, two different cultures that clashed.

“Maybe what works well in Germany is perhaps not suitable for England, and the way of working in England might not be suitable for Germany.”

Ismael stressed it wasn’t a clash of personalities, more that he wanted to act swiftly to get the club onto the path he thought was best.

“It was more a case of how we wanted to work, rather than anything to do with the people,” he explained.

“If you see something isn’t working out, for any reason, then you have to take a decision that you believe is the best for the club.

“I think that when we were discussing the project we are undertaking, this was always a topic that was on the table.

“It was clear that this was a situation that that had to be addressed.

“When you assess the situation, from the inside, this was the next step in the process of change.”

Ismael said his experiences during the transfer window played a key part.

“During the transfer window it was clear there were too many voices involved, but I also felt the communication I had with the board was clear,” he explained.

“We were aligned, that is for sure. What we did have was one or two more meetings that we didn’t need to have.

“I never had the feeling that someone was trying to do something else. We did try to come together and get alignment, but then there would be another idea, and another idea, and another idea.

“It didn’t allow the process to move quickly and things were taking longer.

“But everyone wanted the best. It was not the case that people wanted different players or was trying to fight against us. There were just too many voices.”

Confirming Manga's departure in a club statement, Watford said: "The club thanks Ben and his team for their contribution during the duration of their tenure, and offers its best wishes for the future.

"As has been made clear at fans’ Q&As this season, as well is in Chairman & CEO Scott Duxbury’s match programme notes, Head Coach Valerien Ismael has a wider managerial remit to influence the footballing set-up around him."