Hopefully he will be knackered by the time we start the season at home to Villa. I’m hearing from a reliable source at that club that there won’t be a seat for him on the team bus that travels down to Hertfordshire. They’ve apparently taken him at his word that he’d gladly walk to Watford.
Genuinely couldn’t care less, doesn’t suit our system and is 36 soon. Other than sentimentality I don’t think it ever made much sense anyway
I’m sure he couldn’t give to Fs but he’s embarrassed himself about rejoining us to then rock up at Villa.
Just seen the interview on the Villa website. Virtually identical to the interview he gave when talking about returning to Watford. Taking about his love for the club, couldn’t wait to sign, great to be back, blah blah. Just rhetoric to get the fans onside. I’m sure most will lap it up, as we did, but it’s clearly all bs.
How? Until there’s actual footage of him saying ‘he’ll walk back here to join’ etc, I won’t be convinced it’s not something that’s been taken out of context. From every source that’s vaguely trustworthy, we weren’t as interested in this deal as people want to think.
He said he'd gladly walk back to first club he played for given the opportunity to rejoin them, but completely forgot that Villa wasn't his first club.
Wouldn’t be surprised if we low balled him and combined with a potential 50% cut if we’re relegated (if actually enforced) would make any half decent offer from Villa a bit of a no brainer. They are looking like getting quite a useful squad together for this season annoyingly, especially how lucky they were to stay up when we went down. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We certainly would have not been offering what Villa would have done I agree. And fair point about the relegation clause - doubt Villa have that too .
He’s probably looked at our squad and our budget and thought nah I could end up in the championship with a relegation pay cut, I’ll go to villa instead.
Was he ever offered a contract by us? I suspect that he was one of a number of options we looked at for left back and we decided to go with Rose. If he does play for Villa against us I wonder who will win a race between him and Sarr.
He would have been mad to join our squad over Villa’s even before factoring in the better deal they will be offering. He will be a key player when they comfortably beat us in match one.
His comment has not been taken out of context. He said it in 'Golden Tales / Episode 2 / Ashley Young' (Watford FC Official Club Podcast). https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podca...e-2-ashley-young/id1505575094?i=1000494018746 Adam Leventhal wrote in the 'Watford mailbag special' (the Athletic) that "it appears the interest (in signing Ashley Young) has softened due to his positional unsuitability for Watford’s currently preferred system of 4-3-3. Although still physically fit and mobile despite turning 36 in a month’s time, he is more suited to play as the left wing-back in a 3-5-2 rather than as an orthodox left-back." Therefore. it does seem entirely possible that no contract offer was actually made.
