If you were him, you would want to see some of the transfer activity this window before renewing on a long term deal. If we are relegated next summer - not renewing means he will almost certainly get picked up by a PL club whereas someone may not want to pay up if he is going to cost them something.
Foster telling Hughes to not go to Villa in his latest cycling vid. Hughes in the video at the start, not in training gear or anything. Think it’s safe to say he’s off.
Just seen it. The fact foster brings it up in such a jovial manner added to what Hughes said earlier with him wanting to stay makes me think it will come down to the financial negotiations and offers, rather than what the clubs can offer as an experience (albeit he’s human so that will obviously also factor). I really struggle to see an argument for letting him go or for handing out stupidly, shoot yourself in the foot cheap contracts. It doesn’t have to be spend some money equals financial oblivion. Especially when we bring in such dross all the time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Gutted if he leaves be it this Summer or next, but he owes us nothing. He stayed with us in the Champo and was a big factor in getting back up. Wish him well if he goes. But hope he signs another 5 year deal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If he's refusing to sign a new deal I would rather keep him at the club for 12 months and stay up with him leaving for free next summer! Him helping us secure our status is worth a lot more than the pocket change bandied about on here for a transfer this summer!
I can't honestly say I'd be gutted if he leaves, Hughes has never been at the level of Capoue on a good day I wouldn't let him go for a nominal fee either, PL survival is worth, what, >£30M? Worth it even if he walks away next summer I do think we need to sign a midfield destroyer though if he stays or goes
I personally don’t think Hughes is the difference between staying up and getting relegated, money might be tight but we are actually allowed to sign players. If he won’t sign a new deal then bank the £5/£10m and put it towards a better replacement, it’s not like Hughes himself cost £30m, he came from the championship for about £8m. It’s surely not beyond the wit of man to replace him.
Our midfield is as soft as wet tissue paper with him in it. Even if his contract wasn't up I'd still want us to sign an upgrade, and don't think it should be impossible to do.
Not impossible, just really f****** expensive. There’s a reason we were s*** last season until he began to start at CM.
There are some really good affordable DCMs out there I suspect this is a case of things falling into place, there is 5-6 weeks before the season starts so no need to panic
No inside knowledge but I reckon he's not signing a deal. It's been going on for weeks, we aren't going to be paying massive wages, he'll have to agree to a huge pay decrease in case we get relegated and supposedly Villa are sniffing round him. If he really wanted to stay he would have signed up by now but clearly the deal isn't good enough so he's making us wait. If this scenario I've just made up is true then the club have a big decision to make. You'd imagine we'd try and get as much money for him as we can this window, but then we can't afford to have it drag on all summer. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the player we offered to Southampton.
We’re a selling club, if a good offer comes in, sell - doesn’t sign a new deal - sell. Same should be said for everyone at the club. The caveat to that is if we trust the board to bring in a suitable replacement. I’d probably go as far as saying bar Sarr, everyone else is easily replaceable. As the Brighton owner said, you should want to sell your players, it means you’re doing a good job. Leicester have the same strategy
We won't get "a good offer" in this market for a player with one year left on his contract no matter how key he is to us, unless we can get some decent competition between potential suitors. At present it seems Villa or Villa so a fee of about £5m?
Not really, Hughes £8m, Capoue £6m Doucoure £10m Chalobah £5m. Only one of those shone significantly enough for us for long enough to go up significantly in value as well. They’re all players that we perceive as being good players but only in the microcosm of being a Watford fan, to the rest of the football world they really aren’t all that and are all still worth broadly what we paid for them, in other words they are replaceable for similar money, if not less considering the current climate. Hughes will be a cheap squad player for Villa, as would Chalobah for Leicester. Neither would be starting, simply cheap backup. Hughes was a championship midfielder we bought for £8m, are you seriously suggesting there are no players out there we can’t replace him with for a similar sum? I mean for starters Olise’s release clause is £8m and I’d have him over Hughes any day. It would be crazy not to sell Hughes if he won’t sign a new deal and even crazier to suggest we couldn't easily replace him if not improve on him.
The reason we were **** was the stupid formation we played. he made a difference because he's a good player but the system change made the biggest difference. I really hope he stays but not the end of the world if he leaves
We can get another one for £5-6m, but I reckon there’s every chance they flop. All those three were unproven in the PL and were gambles. If we want a player who we can guarantee will do a job in a PL midfield it will be costly.
One of the WD18 boys tweeted this. Obviously this could just be his opinion, but you would think with all they have done, they might have a little inside info. The problem is it’s not difficult to make up either. No pictures all week for pre-season, no news from the club of any knocks, injuries or surgeries, and Foster telling him to not go to Villa. Definitely doesn’t look good. Think this week will reveal if he’s staying or not. If he’s not in any pre-season photos tomorrow or Tuesday, then I can’t see him staying. https://mobile.twitter.com/Sam_ucko/status/1411649669109792770
It's an odd one. There have been no breaking stories on this. You'd think if he's not training with us, then a deal for another club would be imminent, therefore, stories would have leaked by now. He clearly didn't train last week and the BF video showed him at the club in casual clothing. So, the two likely scenarios are that he has a knock and did not train last week as a precautionary thing or he is in talks with another club and because his head is not with us, Xisco doesn't want him training with the first team.
I doubt that Sam Ucko has any inside information. He was asked why he will be surprised if Will Hughes is still a Watford player at the end of the window and he replied on Twitter "Year left on his deal. Villa move makes sense for him. Can see us cashing in" (which suggests that it is just his opinion). We do not know what kind of terms have been offered to Hughes in the proposed new contract and whether Watford are trying to reduce their costs. The club has also not shown a great deal of ambition in their new signings. Only Louza and Rose (if fit) will probably be able to compete immediately for a first team place. Rose has not played first team football for an entire season and was not fully fit when he was on loan to Newcastle during the second half of the previous season. The other signings appear to be either for the future or players on whom Watford are taking hopeful low-risk punts.
To be honest though, I don't think they have any insider info, they've had interviews with players, but I don't think they've ever been at the forefront of any transfer information?
Tbf for £8m Louza is surely going to be looking for first team football, whether with Hughes or without him
Let’s be honest, if Villa do genuinely want him he’s gone. No 50% relegation clause for a start, and whatever we’ve offered him as a new deal they’ll be able to effortlessly offer him an extra £10k+ p/w without giving it a second thought. He’s also from the midlands, well he moved there when he was 2 according to wiki.
I agree with this comment. I wonder whether the 50% relegation clause has put both Hughes and Chalobah off from signing new contracts.
I think it's the right time for Hughsey to move on. I don't want him to but if he wants to further his career, Villa would be perfect for him.
It's the same as thinking that Troopz has the inside track on Arteta's transfer plans. That's mental blud
I was under the impression that Louza was a Hughes replacement/back-up anyway. Hope he stays and to be honest if it came down to either him or Chalobah not signing a new deal and going I would rather Chalobah went (mainly because he's only had 6 good months since his injury). Hughes would be a big loss IMO and I would rather keep him for 12 months and earn another £150m+ for staying up and then replacing him.
