I posted this last June - not sure if Schlotterbeck would have been interested in a move to the PL, but he ended up arguably the best CB in the Bundesliga this season and has now signed for Dortmund (for €25mil)... A smaller club could have nabbed a bargain last summer (though Dortmund have still got a very good deal as he only had 1 year left on his Freiburg contract).
Does Messi fancy a move ? https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...na-train-finalissima-watford-training-ground/
Not so much a suggestion as a prediction: Kalifa Coulibaly. We'll need strikers when King, JP, Cucho, Dennis and Sarr have all gone. Coulibaly is out of contract at Nantes, so should fit our criteria of being affordable and (probably) in some way represented by Mogi Bayat.
Do you really expect the five forwards you mentioned all to leave? I can see JP and Cucho staying, well more hopeful. The other three can all go, add the pointless signing of Kalu too. I'm more concerned about the complete dross we have left and if they can be shifted.
Yeah I do. Dennis and Sarr are a given; King reportedly has a break clause (and will think he can get a PL move); Cucho will go to a lower-end La Liga team for about £5m. JP is the borderline one, but I think Pozzos will want him in the shop window of a top league, so he’ll go to Udinese. If he wants to stay then they wouldn’t stop him but I would understand if he’d rather play Serie A than the Championship.
Personally I feel it would be a shame to let go both JP and Cucho but as you say if they don't want to be at Watford they should go. A complete new forward line and backups is some ask though. Cucho and JP show heart at the very least when they play though. That we will desperately need next season in the Championship. As I said I'm more worried about the likes of Ngakia, WTE, Masina, Kabs, Cleverly, Gosling, Kayembe, Sema, Kalu, Bachmann plus many others that need the door shown to them. Louza I can see being snapped up by say a Brighton type team or one of the promoted. It would leave us threadbare to say the least but maybe that's what's needed.
Would hardly match Duxbury's ambition of "Lets go up as Champions" because who tf is going to score any goals for us!
Which PL team would sign King after the season he's had with us? Maybe whoever comes up through the play-offs?
There's some decent options available I'd imagine in the Championship but Gino isn't one for spending cash in that league. But it isn't easy find 15-20 goal forwards on the cheap. Added to that we then have to find goals from midfield which also costs a pretty penny.
If it would make Duxbury a liar, that's even more reason to expect it. Someone will take a chance on a free transfer. Watford's general uselessness will excuse a lot of his poor performances.
Fletcher. If you want a laugh, have a look at the Loaners Video Thread that Reids updates each week. Have watched a couple of the Fletcher videos just to see how he's getting on at New York and... well, he can barely kick a football and is useless in the air.
There have been a number of transfers we've made over the years that raise eyebrows but the signing of Fletcher is the one that makes the least sense. I would love this one explained to me as I can't see a single plus point
I’d be very surprised if we sold Joao Pedro AND Cucho in the summer. I actually think they will both stay.
If we intend to go up then JP and Cucho need to stay and we need to get in a third striker. Preferably young, hungry and with an eye for goal and improvement. There must be several in the tier below. JP and Cucho seem the types who would be happy to stay. If might even help both more so JP mature as a striker if asked to lead the line.
Lol. I'm not as sold on Cucho as many on here but we sold Suarez for £10mil and Estupinan for £15mil at similar ages when we were relegated last time. I also reckon we'll keep hold of him this summer and it will take a bid of at least £10mil+ for the Pozzos to consider, combined with Cucho agitating for a move. But he doesn't seem the type of player to rock the boat and I suspect he's probably fine with pushing to get back to the PL again. He was starting to hit a bit of form before he got injured and could be happy with his surroundings.
I think Cucho would love to play regularly in a Watford team challenging for promotion from the Championship and winning more games. He is the only one of the forwards to enjoy a real connection with the fans in a Fessi-type way.
Can't find anything which says for sure, but supposedly he signed another "long-term" deal in 2019. Given our record and what typical contracts are like I'd guess that would have been 5 years, meaning it runs until 2014 and so he has 2 years left. It might encourage the Pozzos to cash in this summer if they get a good offer, but they might also consider it more sensible to keep him another year with the expectation that he'll help get us promoted again next season, and thus would be open to signing another contract with us. https://www.watfordfc.com/news/official-new-contract-loan-move-for-cucho
I believe Ucko said he confirmed this. The exact quote was related to another relegation and the positive angle was "Let's go up as Champions this time"
In a semi-defence of Duxbury (I feel sick), Ucko claimed Duxbury said he thinks we will go up as Champions and then had to be corrected by Roy Moore… As for Cucho, I think with Sarr, Dennis and Sissoko almost certain to move on, then the need for further finances from sales will be largely abated. I can only see Joao Pedro or Cucho moving on if they really agitate for it - and they don’t seem the type. Neither of them are regular internationals so they don’t have that status to protect either - although I guess Cucho may feel he could break into the squad again maybe. I also wonder if in bringing Asprilla over, they’d be extra keen to keep Cucho to help him settle.
If it’s a mutual break clause we will just part ways to get the wages off the books, irrespective of interest?
Can’t be guilty of something if the accuser never actually tells you what it is you’re accused of! Still waiting for the clarification on details that the Mods/Admin are supposedly happy to give according to @SkylaRose !
Josh Bowler of Blackpool - 23 year-old left-footed right-winger. Only one year left on his contract. 3rd most 'successful dribbles per 90' in the Champ this season and 7 goals 3 assists in a poor Blackpool side. Could be ideal to replace Sarr with assuming he goes. Seems like a slightly silkier Jarrod Bowen. He was linked with Forest and Muff in Jan, but it remains to be seen if Muff will go back for him now that they've won promotion to the PL. He's guaranteed to move this summer, and I'd be a bit surprised if none of the newly promoted clubs take a cheap punt on him, but in case they don't we should be all over it:
