Amazed at some of the free agents available this year. This post isn’t meant for us to sign them, we wouldn’t stand a chance, but just to see who has let their contract run out. Malang Sarr CB - Nice must be ticked that they won’t get a fee for him. He will join a CL club this window Ryan Fraser LM - will probably end up at a club like West Ham. Mario Gotze CAM - still only 28, seems like he’s been around forever. I’m sure someone like Everton will go for him. Robin Knoche CB - Solid CB. Very consistent, if we were going to get a defender on a free this is who I would want us to go for. However there will be much bigger fish than us in the sea after him. We have no chance. Jeff Hendrick CM - your typical hard working Burnley player. If im one of the promoted teams looking to sure up my midfield, couldn’t go wrong with him, especially as a free. Nathaniel Clyne RB - 29 now, but would be a decent addition for any promoted Championship team now heading into the Prem for next season. Kevin Stoger CM/CAM - been one of, if not the, best player for Fortuna Duesseldorf last season and this season. Missed the beginning of this season with a ACL injury, but still managed 5 assists in the equivalent of 14 games. Only 26, can imagine him joining one of the German teams that qualified for the Europa, probably Hoffenheim. Angel Gomes CAM - only 19yrs old, but has the potential to be something special. Leaving Man Utd is a big decision. Could go either way at such a young age. Could be world class if he gets his next move right. If not, will probably end up another Ravel Morrison. Other free agents - Cavani, Vertonghen, Kruse, Tom Carroll, Ibe, Howedes, Schwaab, Gaitan, Mandzukic, Ayala, Remy and our very own Iturbe, just to name a few.
Blimey Nath, how long ago did I post that! Must be almost a year I think, great work trawling back My frustrations really spilled over at reading so many negative posts about the players didn't it. I still think the nucleus of the squad should have been good enough to stay up if I had - sorry, not I, I mean that bloke Gino who I don't look or sound anything like, ahem - had added to it in a meaningful way during last years summer window. We already had 3 Dawsons at CB yet saw fit to buy an actual Dawson. Great job. No freshening up of the CM positions other than Tom Dele-Bashiru. No pressure on Capoue or Doucoure at all. No pressure put on Deeney's place with just Gray sat on the bench and we bring in Welbeck. He's not even a centre forward. And then the Sarr debacle of a transfer. A record buy who was never going to be playing anywhere near his peak until well over half the season had transpired. No wonder the players were sluggish from the start and that's simply from a playing perspective. Without feeling their places were under pressure they sat on their collective laurels and were shown up for it time and again. Add to that the off the field problems of bonus disagreements & christ knows what else and it's no wonder the same side who produced some cracking football the season before disappeared and evolved into an apathetic outfit who couldn't and didn't pull their weight in terms of ability or effort. Still, the transfer window is now open so we can all look on despairingly at who we're now linked with and who the club offer contract extensions to because they're never good enough in the end are they.
The Sarr debacle? You're kidding right? And he might have played better earlier in the season if QSF had actually picked him more...
You can't blame Sarr individually, he's quality and he tried his heart out, but he was always gonna take time to get up to speed given he'd been playing in the AFCON last summer. Where would we have been if we hadn't gone gung ho for him, but spent more on a defence? **** knows man, **** knows...
Indeed it took time. But I'd say a very successful purchase for a young player in a good league. Transfer saga maybe, debacle no. Our problem was more taking chances than leaking goals. And playing one up front when we don't have a single striker who fits playing as a lone front man. Do agree with the need for a better defender obviously.
As you said to Hogg-DEENEY!!!, possibly better described as a saga. Even so, the way the transfer panned out (not concluded until the final day of the window?) left the team without the player who would ultimately become its most attacking threat for maybe a third of the season due to him not finding any form from the off. Not Sarrs fault, that totally lays at the feet of the people conducting the transfer. I'd also now question the spending of the bulk of what appears to be that summers transfer budget on one player. Did he strengthen the side? Yes, undoubtedly he did. But could the purchase of, say, two players for the sum paid for Sarr have strengthened the team more? Obviously given the way the club deal in transfers it's not guaranteed quantity means quality but it's never good to pin your hopes on just one player. So our attacking threat was hampered from the very beginning of the season by bringing players in (Welbeck also came very late) at the last moment. That's why, with hindsight, I see it as a debacle.
b But if we sell Sarr for 40m, we might reinvest 5m in the squad - the rest goes to paying off debt and subsidising high cost base Life has changed - get used to it
Just saw this on facebook so not sure if correct but if so ... a lot of players on the books Here are all of Watford’s released players: Balogun, Jamal Clinton Titilayo Bennetts, Jayden Ugonna Cholevas, Chose Loint (Contract extension) Da Silva Gomes, Heurelho (Contract extension) Folivi, Michael Kwaku Gordon, Lewis Green, Cameron Oliver Hinds, Kaylen Miles Jakubiak, Alexander Louis Mariappa, Adrian Joseph (Contract extension) Whelan, Callum Tyler (Contract extension) Here are all of Watford’s Retained players: Agyakwa, Derek Emmanuel Adjei (Extended) Alvarado Hoyos, Jamie Alberto Bachmann, Daniel Barrett, Mason Earle Barrozo Rodrigues, Matheus Aias Becerra Maya, Juan Camillo Capoue, Etienne Cathcart, Craig George Chalobah, Nathaniel Nyakie Cleverley, Thomas William Crichlow, Kane Sinclair Dahlberg, Pontus Dalby, Samuel George Dawson, Craig Deeney, Troy Matthew Dele-Bashiru, Ayotomiwa Sherif Deulofeu Lazaro, Gerard Doucoure, Abdoulaye Elitim Sepulveda, Juergen Farid Estupinan Tenorio, Pervis Josue Femenia Far, Francisco Fobi, Kingsley Forster, Harry James (Offer) Foster, Ben Foulquier, Dimitri Gray, Andre Anthony Hernandez Suarez, Juan Camilo Hughes, William James Hungbo, Joseph Oluwagbemiga (Extended) Janmaat, Daryl Junqueira Jesus, Joao Pedro Kabasele, Christian Langston, George James Barbosa Lo-Everton, Sonny Blu Masina, Adam Mbaye, Mamadou McLean Cassidy, Ryan Michael (Offer) Navarro, Marc Parkes, Adam Darren (Extended) Penaranda Maestre, Adalberto Pereyra, Roberto Maximiliano Perkins, Teddy Arthur Phillips, Daniel Shaquille Jabari (Extended) Pussetto, Ignacio Quina, Domingos Roberts, Myles Conrad Santana Ferreira, Matheus Henrique Sarr, Ismaila Segura Portocarrero, Jorge Andres Sema, Ken Sibo, Kwasi Sinclair, Jerome Terence Spencer-Adams, Bayli Alexander (Offer) Stuparevic, Filip Suarez Charris, Luis Javier Success Ajayi, Isaac Velasquez Reyes, Williams Daniel Welbeck, Daniel Wilmot, Benjamin Lewis Wise, Henry Dennis Paul (Extended) All as of August 1, 2020
Full list updated on post #1 with every player who has a professional contract. Below are the players with less than a year left on theirs, mostly from the U23's. AL believes Deeney may have already had his contract extended by another year due to 'meeting targets set out in the terms'.
Great work @DrewH One thing I did notice was you have Welbeck's contract ending in 2021. According to The Athletic he signed a 3yr deal in 2019, taking him up to 2022. https://theathletic.co.uk/1121100/2...d-how-strikers-move-was-a-year-in-the-making/
https://theathletic.co.uk/1949281/2...eulofeu-deeney-pearson-stack-mullins-manager/ "Danny Welbeck will also be weighing up his options with just one year left on his contract. When he made the move to Watford he wouldn’t have included at least a season in the Championship as part of the plan to get back to the earlier heights of his career with Manchester United and Arsenal. Two goals since lockdown — including a spectacular overhead kick against Norwich — will have reminded potential suitors that he could be a useful addition to a Premier League squad. However, it appears all options are still open after initial informal discussions: Watford could decide to sell or offer a contract extension if they believe he could help — and be willing to commit — to a promotion push."
Strange the same publication would give two different lengths of contract. I did think maybe it was initially a 2-year deal with the option of a third but the wording in the piece you've quoted discounts that. I also did a quick search and I found reports from talkSport and 90mins saying it was a 3-year deal while Football Insider quoted 'a Watford source' it was for 2 years. The club, helpfully, didn't give any details when he signed. Clear as mud really!
Pervis Estupinan may have had his contract extended. Steve Leo Beleck reported on 29 July that he is "Contracted to us until 2024 according to the local rag in Osasuna..." https://amp.diariodenavarra.es/noti...&utm_source=Twitter&__twitter_impression=true No idea if it is true, but the club do sometimes seem to be quite secretive about contracts.
How confident are we that Kabasele and Femenia signed new contracts to 2024? There’s been nothing official, and the closest I can find to confirmation is this article from The Athletic: https://theathletic.co.uk/1645292/2...arson-watford-contracts/?access_token=4861405 Has there been confirmation anywhere else? Given the club announced officially that Foster, Janmaat, Bachmann and others have signed contract extensions, why wouldn’t they have done the same for Kiko and Kabasele? I’m not so sure they have signed - perhaps they were contingent on us staying up.
https://footballleaguefc.com/watford-fc-2019-20-player-wages/ This is an interesting league table of player salaries. Probably not 100% but I think it's pretty close as it does seem to align to the Spotrac table too. Gerard Deulofeu 26 LW 80,000 2023 Troy Deeney 31 CF 80,000 2021 Andre Gray 28 CF 75,000 2022 Abdoulaye Doucouré 27 CM 70,000 2023 Isma*la Sarr 22 RW 70,000 2024 Danny Welbeck 29 CF 70,000 2022 Tom Cleverley 30 CM 60,000 2022 Daryl Janmaat 30 RB 45,000 2020 Roberto Pereyra 29 AM 45,000 2021 Craig Dawson 29 CB 42,500 2023 Étienne Capoue 31 DM 42,500 2022 Nathaniel Chalobah 25 DM 35,000 2022 Ben Foster 37 GK 32,500 2021 José Holebas 35 LB 32,500 2020 Will Hughes 24 CM 32,500 2022 Adalberto Peñaranda 22 CF 32,000 2023 Christian Kabasele 29 CB 30,000 2021 Isaac Success 24 LW 30,000 2023 Ignacio Pussetto 24 RW 30,000 2024 Adam Masina 26 LB 28,000 2023 Craig Cathcart 31 CB 25,000 2021 João Pedro 18 CF 23,000 2024 Marc Navarro 24 RB 23,000 2023 Dimitri Foulquier 27 RB 20,000 2021 Jerome Sinclair 23 CF 20,000 2021 Kiko Femenía 29 RB 18,500 2021 Cucho Hernández 20 CF 18,000 2024 Heurelho Gomes 39 GK 17,500 2020 Adrian Mariappa 33 CB 15,000 2020 Filip Stuparevic 19 CF 15,000 2023 Ken Sema 26 LM 10,000 2023 Ben Wilmot 20 CB 10,000 2023 Domingos Quina 20 CM 8,000 2022 Tom Dele-Bashiru 20 CM 5,000 2025 Jorge Segura 23 CB 3,000 2021 Pontus Dahlberg 21 GK 3,000 2023 Daniel Bachmann 25 GK 2,500 2020 Kwasi Sibo 21 CM 1,000 2023 You can see all the highest earners and they match up with all those players we're trying to shift, apart from Gray. Cleverley & Gray look to be part of things for this season but are earning more than Capoue. These two should certainly be sold ahead of some of the others IMO.
Roughly checks out on what we all suspected I guess, a few figures look a bit different (and of course there are bonuses on top of that as well, Welbeck's figures appear to be the weeks when he plays). God knows who's on relegation wage cut clauses, because some of the filler in our squad on that money is absolute cringe In an ideal world, yes, Cleverley and Gray would be sold before Capoue, but no club is going to want to pay the money to get them (and Valencia are seemingly struggling to stump up what we'd want for Capoue). Gonna have to grit our teeth and accept them as squad players (Clev could be very useful in midfield if we can get him fit, and Gray won't be completely useless in the Championship I guess)
Think all of these things are probably made up but if Kiko really was on £4.5k less per week than Navarro, he should shoot his agent.
Jesus, I hope Isaac Success and Penaranda have been saving all that cash because that will likely be their yearly salary in the next deals they sign when they finally leave. For the cost and money, Success must go down as the worst monetary signing of all, worse than Ellington even, and just ahead of Gray. At least Gray helped massively in the FA Cup run. I remember us scrimping and begging for money to survive with players having to take way cuts. Think about all the money wasted on Filip Stuparevic and Segura, in the last few years, a few million down the pan there, I had never heard of the Colombian fella.
Success has certainly been more disappointing than Gray in my view, Gray has always been very limited, but Success has talent and has completely wasted it. I don't know enough about our financial situation when we signed Ellington, was that (small by modern standards) fee a risky one for the club? I recall he had particular trouble settling, with style of play issues and with Darius Henderson banging in the goals at that time
When do we have to confirm the squad for the season, is it a week after the close of the transfer window?
Might as well confirm It now . We’re selling everyone not playing and not buying anyone so we know what it’s gonna be
Looks like we are gonna end up with plenty of decent players who won't play for us? I dunno how this all works, but it looks like a huge waste of money for poor Mr Pozzo
https://www.footballinsider247.com/...=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1602000393 Club opening talks with Cleverely to renew his deal. 31 years old and still has 2 years left. You really couldn't make it up.