Watford FC is pleased to announce that Dean Whitehead, Omer Riza and Jack Riley will join Head Coach Valérien Ismaël’s backroom staff ahead of the new campaign.
Assistant Head Coach Whitehead joins the Hornets with plenty of football experience having featured more than 500 times for the likes of Sunderland, Stoke City and Middlesbrough.
Most notably, Whitehead won the Championship in 2005 and 2007 with the Black Cats, playing a significant role in both campaigns. The ex-midfielder also reached an FA Cup final with the Potters in 2011, before getting promoted to the top-flight with Huddersfield Town in 2017.
The 41-year-old moved into coaching during the 2018/19 season, working alongside then Terriers boss David Wagner before going on to take charge of the Under-17s in the same campaign. In 2019, Whitehead moved to League One side Shrewsbury Town before switching to Port Vale, helping the latter secure promotion to the third-tier as part of the coaching set-up.
In July 2022, he linked up with Ismaël for the first time during the Head Coach’s stint at Beşiktaş. Most recently, Whitehead was a part of Cardiff City’s first-team coaching staff, departing in January 2023.
Riza, who now takes the role of First-Team Assistant Coach, is a familiar name to Watford supporters having taken charge of the club’s Under-21 side since the 2020/21 season.
The former forward came through Arsenal's youth set-up, making more than 250 career appearances for clubs including Cambridge United, Denizlispor and Trabzonspor. During his time as a coach with the Hornets - having joined in August 2018 - Riza has also worked with The FA and England, earning his UEFA Pro Licence in 2022.
Having helped oversee the development of players such as Ryan Andrews, James Morris and Tobi Adeyemo, the 43-year-old will be a familiar face to the dressing room contingent during his work alongside Ismaël in the coming season.
Also joining the backroom staff is experienced Video Analyst Riley. Having previously worked in key roles behind the scenes with Ismaël at Barnsley, West Bromwich Albion and Beşiktaş, the 29-year-old completes the Watford Head Coach’s team.
Welcome Dean and Jack, and congratulations Omer!
