What ever happened to.. Paolo Vernazza? Vernazza was signed by Graham Taylor in 2000 from Arsenal for £350,000. He looked like a steal initially as he provided the perfect blend of flair, defensive steel and composure. Ultimately, he is remembered for being somewhat of a wasted talent. After clinching the signing of the England Under 21 midfielder, Taylor believed he would develop into an "exceptionally good player." Vernazza however seemed more intent on talking about his old club rather than his new one. The 20 year old was highly critical of Arsene Wenger's youth policy: "I'm upset that I wasn't given an extended run in the side. I wasn't given enough time to show what I could do, said Vernazza. I wasn't prepared to hang around and not be playing at my age." With Watford's training ground situated next to Arsenal's, the move seemed like a sensible one from Vernazza who apparently turned down Norwich City in favour of the short trip. Ironically Arsenal had moved from Watford's training ground 14 months earlier, so the surroundings must have been all too familiar for him. He made his debut in the 3-3 draw with West Brom and scored his first goal in the 2-3 win at Sheffield Wednesday. The goal proved to be only one of three goals scored for the club, a problem that eventually resulted in him being dropped later on during his Watford career. Vernazza faced a possible career threatening injury on the 4th October 2001 when he and his friend - former Arsenal youth teammate Andrew Douglas - were stabbed after surprising a burglar after returning from a night out. Douglas was stabbed in the chest and was in a critical condition whilst Vernazza escaped with a leg injury which ruled him out of action for a month before returning in the 0-2 victory over Sheffield United. The incident affected Vernazza in more ways than one and it took a long time for him to retain the form that had Watford fans salivating on his arrival. This was evident from an interview with Vernazza with The Independant before the FA Cup Quarter Final against Burnley in 2003 when he revealed: "I don't even like to bring it up because of the bad memories. I have a scar to show for it and it left a mental scar at the time. But there's no point worrying about it." He also revealed how his friend’s injuries affected him: “Football went out of the window for a time because Andrew was close to dying and my focus was on helping a good friend get better," he said. Soon after he returned, he suffered another setback, ironically against Arsenal when he injured his knee during a 2-4 defeat in the FA Cup. It ruled him out for eight months, during which he had two operations. He returned the following season determined, and it was perhaps his best period at the club as he played every game in the glorious FA Cup run to the Semi Final. However, although Lewington described him as a "good box to box player", his lack of goals was becoming noticeable especially as Watford finished as one of the lowest goal scorers in the division that year with 54 goals, almost half of them being scored by Heider Helguson and Neil Cox. Vernazza made 29 appearances the next season, in what proved to be his last. Almost half were from the substitute’s bench, an indication of the dip in form that eventually saw him released the following summer. With the club trying to offload the big wage earners there was little doubt that Vernazza would be leaving. Lewington revealed why he didn't offer him a contract: "He had a really good spell. He is good footballer but he didn't score goals, and did not have too many assists. He didn't get in the box and make things happen. However, he will get a club. He has a good touch, is easy on the eye and has a good football brain," he said. Vernazza did indeed find a new club in Rotherham where he started a measly 14 games before beginning his gradual decline down the football ladder. Spells at Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge, Weymouth and Woking was followed by a move to Grays Athletic this summer. But it hasn't all been bad news for Vernazza. His girlfriend is model Sapphira O'Shannon..
No - he's at dear old Hemel FC now - along with a few other old familiar WFC faces: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/hemelhempsteadtown/?primary=senior&secondary=players_coaches&team_id=
