I remember there was some talk at the time that Juve and a few other big Italian clubs were sniffing around him, but it was presumably just his agent doing work and we fell for it.
I keep making this point, but it's probably to do with agents and not the player... We probably signed him as a favour to an agent. People will think that's bad business but agents of foreign players basically control where their player goes a lot of the time so in some cases it can be impossible to sign a player without being in favour with the agent.
Every clubs takes chances, but this one does seem pretty inexplicable. It was a lot of money for a guy who was doing fairly poorly in a poor league and in a league where he would really struggle to get a work permit for us.
We do seem to have a lot more contract related shenanigans than other clubs though. At least we feel top tier for that.
The difference is that most clubs buy players that at least perform well in that poor quality league and not a bellow average player from a poor league. For example, if Watford signed Joveljic, or a year before they signed Stuparevic signed Vlahovic that would have been a risk worth taking as they showed at least some quality in Serbian league. Even someone like Tedic who Man City signed and sent to Zwolle on loan would have been better(he had a terrible injury and covid hence only 2 goals in Dutch league). On the other hand, Stuparevic was bad in Serbian league and showed very little and why would anyone think he would be able to perform in the PL if he couln't hack it even in Serbian league?
Didn't we sign him when he was 17/18? However crap he was/is, he was deemed capable of playing men's football at that age, so must have had something about him. From what I remember we bought him for a minimal fee as a low risk punt. Clubs make more inexplicable, and more costly signings every transfer window
I get what you are saying. But for example, Kepa who Chelsea signed for 80 million or something like that flopped for them, but that transfer did make sense as Kepa was one of the top keepers in Spanish league. Stuparevic on the other hand was terrible from the start. The only reason he had made some senior apps is because football in Serbia is super corrupt. If I began to explain the situation in our FA it would take me about 2 or 3 days to do it. He got a chance because he has a good manager and because his parents have money.
Has this already been posted? https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...giaretta-confirms-watford-relegation-clauses/
Stuparevic was signed as a non goalscoring striker. He lived up to his billing superbly. It's a Pozzo tradition like mince pies at xmas. Watch Ashley Fletcher and Isaac score 0 PL goals this season. Troy to get 1 from open play every 1000 minutes. Andre to get 5 off the bench and b villified for having the best minutes per goal at the club yet again.
Read the first half of this post and thought there may be a small chance you won't mention Deeney. Maybe one day
Is this every single professional footballer on our books? So, no more players we own but we’ve never seen are hardly heard of? If so there’s 59. I’m guessing that’s fairly common for a premier league club nowadays? I’m assuming the likes of Chelsea have quite a lot more?
I not sure, but I think we might have a few more floating around in the lower leagues of several other countries that we have never heard of and maybe never actually will hear of.
Anyone know when pre-season officially starts? I know some players are back already for extra training/treatment on injuries. I assume the club will want the contract situation with Hughes and Chalobah sorted before everyone is back. If they're not going to sign a deal then let them train on their own away from the training ground while we try and cash in.
Really? You'd try to force out two of our better players just because they've only got a year left on their contract? If Hughes and Chalobah can help us stay up that would dwarf and fees from selling them.
Correct. Personally I don't think Chalobah is the difference between staying up or getting relegated, I'm fine if he goes. Hughes is maybe more important but even then, if he doesn't want to commit then let's get the money and keep building the squad.
Would be an absolute travesty if we lose Hughes or Chalobah. Would make Pozzbury look like completely incompetent snake oil selling charlatans.
If we paid up the contracts of those players who aren’t in the squad, or are included but will play very little, if any part, I bet it would easily surpass what we have spent on the first instalments on this seasons incomings and their signing on fees…. Just think about that for a moment….
ALL OUT OF CONTRACT 2022 SHOULD WE TRY TO KEEP THEM OR SHOULD THEY GO? Goalkeepers: 1. Foster- 2022 - Keep as 2nd/3rd Choice as would be good for up and coming GK's and can still do a job as a backup IMO. 46. Baptiste- 2022 - Don't know enough about him so not sure? — Roberts- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Parkes- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste Defenders: 13. Nkoulou- 2022 - Try to keep if he stays fit and on how he performs for rest of season? 42. Morris- 2022 - Probably let go as does not seem anything special? 48. Agyakwa- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — O'Brien- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Langston- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Broome- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Burchell- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Janjeva- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Segura- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste Midfielders: 4. Etebo- 2022 [loan with option] - Ditto Nkoulou 45. Conteh- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Wise- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Crichlow- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Pochettino- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Harrison- 2022 -Ditto Baptiste — Phillips- 2022 -Ditto Baptiste — Lo-Everton- 2022 - Heard good things so possibly try to keep? — Alvarado- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste Forwards: — Gray- 2022 - GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!! — Cassidy- 2022 - Heard good things so possibly try to keep ? — Hutchinson- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Chikukwa- 2022 - Ditto Baptiste — Cukur- 2022 - Not looked good out on loan, but as still young possibly give him one more year to try & prove himself?