2018/19 Squad

Ultimately though it comes down to the player. If Rich decides he wants to go there, then regardless of the relationship we have with Everton, we will have to sell

 

There is no obligation to sell on our part. He’s a Watford player and he still has 4 years left on his contract.

If he’s having his head turned it can go one of two ways. Admittedly, it may be in our best interest to sell. If he loses focus and can’t be professional enough to keep working hard and doing his best then we’re better off rid of him.
However with good man management, with the right assurances given and a bit of TLC, we could still get good performances from him for another season.

Either way we don’t have to do anything.

 

No we won't.

 

We re buying Nostradamus instead .

As he himself predicted .

 

If he kicks up a fuss and refuses to play, it’ll be widely reported and he’ll have many suitors, many of which will be bigger than Everton. We may have to sell in that respect and we may not get as much as we’d want. But I’d be very very very confident he wouldn’t be going to Everton.

That said, I think a lot of this perceived attitude problem is overblown. From what we’ve seen of pre-season so far and his social media, he seems pretty content.

 

If we have to sell Richarlison, can it be to Liverpool out of spite?

 

As Everton and the snake are the champions at dirty tricks, I wouldn't be surprised if they did a deal with another club whereby that club (e.g. West Ham) buy him from us for say £25m and then they immediately sell him onto Everton for £30m.

 

£25M? Are we selling him in bits then?

 

Remember how his form dipped after Silva left?

 

It dipped long before that. It was part of the reason results nosedived, leading to Slither losing his job.

 

He's a professional footballer. I think Silva leaving was a very minor part of his poor form. Fatigue and increased attention from opposition was the main reason.

 

It’ll be interesting to see how the ‘fatigue’ excuse pans out this season.

 

Well let’s be honest, with some of our fans, he could light up the league all year long, and some will criticise him for ‘downing tools’ last season.

 

Just over two weeks to go so an update on the numbers after today's outs.

Key is non-homegrown over 21, homegrown over 21, under 21.

Goalkeepers (4)

Gomes
Foster
Bachmann
Dahlberg

Full backs (8)

Femenia
Janmaat
Foulquier
Navarro
Dja DjeDje
Holebas
Masina
Zeegelaar

Centre backs (7)

Prodl
Kabasele
Kaboul
Britos
Cathcart
Mariappa
Wilmot

Central midfielders (5)

Doucoure
Capoue
Cleverley
Chalobah
Hughes

Wide players (5)

Deulofeu
Pereyra
Sema
Success
Penaranda

Strikers (4)

Deeney
Gray
Okaka
Oulare

Overseas over 21 - 21
Homegrown over 21 - 9
Under 21 - 3

Still got to lose 5 over 21 players before we sign anyone: Oulare, DjeDje, Zeegelaar, Foulquier, one of Bachmann/Gomes.

Okaka and Britos to go too would allow us to bring in two...

Edit: just saw that @DrewH beat me to it by a few mins!

 

Estupinan is an u21, assuming he comes here

 

8 full backs of which 1 is, 1 isn't, 2 can't, 1 doesn't want to be and one is AWOL. The other 2 I have no idea yet. Looking promising.....

 

I couldn't find Obbi in the Team Bus section and his thread in the Transfers section is closed.
I presume he's in the Medical Department but there isn't a dedicated thread for that - yet! - so I'll post this here.

This piece from Belgium yesterday suggest we want to sell Oulare. I've no idea of the veracity of the source.

http://www.voetbalbelgie.be/nl/article.php?id=138688

Translation;

Three goals in sixteen matches, Obbi Oulare has not had a great season. Not again.
Since his transfer from Club Brugge to Watford in January 2016, things are not running smoothly.
Antwerp still wants to continue with Oulare. However, it seems to have other plans.

The son of former professional footballer Souleymane Oulare is under contract with Watford FC until mid-2021.
The London club prefers to sell Oulare. A loan is negotiable.

The 22-year-old striker can work together with Michel Preud'homme at Standard.
Oulare sees that story. Prefer Standard than Antwerp.

Oulare played in 2012/2013 with the youth of Standard. Then he went to Club Brugge.
The negotiations between Standard and Watford would be in full swing. The English paid 8 million euros for the taller attacker.

 

We are a couple long term injuries in the midfield from a team that will get relegated.

2 weeks to go so hopefully we see some signings.

 

The knock-on effect of buying crap players on long contracts; being unable to improve the squad as you can't get shot of them!

Oulare, Dja Djedje, Zeegelar are all to be jettisoned, and you imagine they wouldn't say no to anyone after Britos, Gomes, Holebas, Prodl and Janmaat. That's probably well over £150k a week in wages we're currently wasting on dead wood.

 

And judging on previous years that will happen. We’ve already lost Cleverley and worryingly Chalobah hasn’t featured in a friendly yet.

 

€8m FFS. When you add up all the cheap, no risk punts we take, which have an alarmingly low success rate, you realise how our "buy cheap, buy thrice" policy is a false economy.

 

Luckily we made that all back during his big money loan move to Zulte Waragem

 

If we have another season of injuries like the the last 2, then someone at the club should be arrested and prosecuted.

That rate of injuries and the terrible recovery rate can only be down to some sort of systematic abuse within our medical department.

 

As if ! Richarlison yes, but no way are we going to sell the crown jewels. Remember we beat Man U to the signing of this chap. Not, unless we get a crazy offer over £500k that is.

 

Our tree-long attacker Obbi Oulare still gets talked about in Belgium. Sadly for him the optimism is dying at the same rate as his football career.
As he continues to keep Kaboul company in the rag basket, so each article limps along to what will surely end up as just an emoji shrugging its shoulders.

https://www.voetbalprimeur.be/nieuw...-reden-waarom-geen-enkele-ploeg-doorzet-.html

Calm around Oulare: "That is why no team continues".

We are now in early August, but Obbi Oulare still has no idea where he will play football.
Standard Luik showed interest, although it seems to have cooled in the last few weeks. Royal Antwerp FC also doubts.

The Great Old rented Oulare last season from Watford FC. This was not, however, an undivided success.
The tree-long attacker was often in the rag basket and partly because of that only sixteen appearances, in which he scored three hits.
"He is injured, is revaliding and on the way back, and if we get it now, he can not be used quickly", says Sven Jacques, sports advisor at Antwerp, about that in Gazet van Antwerpen.

"Oulare is still nowhere, huh," he continues. "That is also the reason why no single team now continues, and then there is Watford, are we going to rent it again, pay for it to make it better for someone else?" These are the considerations that you have to make ", Jacques concludes, doubtful.

 

Possible new title for the forum?

 

"The tree-long attacker" - great description. Except the "attacker" bit.

 

Always thought he looked a bit like an ent

 

Or possibly Dec?

 

"Oulare is still nowhere, huh" is exactly how I feel too every time I'm reminded he's our player.

 

I double checked the translation several times because of that 'huh'. It sums up how so many of us feel about the tree-long Belgium.