Watford’s latest deal to sign Barcelona winger Gerard Deulofeu, 24, has not only made heads turn but has also given a clear indication that the Hornets are indeed taking initiatives to have a strong foothold in the Premier League.
The player impressed greatly at Vicarage Road during his brief loan spell last season and now that he’s back, it will be interesting to see how he fares in the seasons to come. But it goes without saying that this is a brilliant deal for the club.
Both Deulofeu and Barcelona have benefited from this deal. The talented youngster was not a regular for the Catalan giants and one couldn’t blame him. After all, he had to fight for a place in the team which consisted of big names like Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho and so on. Despite the presence of these top-class superstars, Deulofeu got on the pitch on 10 occasions, before being sent on loan to Watford.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have not only pocketed a fee of £11.5m for the player but they will also receive £3.5m in add-ons.
Deulofeu was always considered a top talent to watch out for since the time he joined Barcelona’s youth academy at the age of nine. He rapidly progressed through the ranks and made his debut for Barcelona B in 2011. This proved his calibre at the time and his stupendous success got him promoted to the first-team.
However, he was loaned out to Everton and the youngster quickly became an integral part of Roberto Martínez’s team. His exploits helped them secure a 5th-place finish in the league table, along with a spot in the Europa League.
He was loaned out to Sevilla the following season, where he notched one goal in 17 matches. But the Toffees chose to sign him permanently in 2015 and Deulofeu registered 37 appearances during his second spell for Everton. Despite an impressive spell, Everton loaned him out to AC Milan and Deulofeu utilized that opportunity to showcase his skills once more.
Barcelona recognized Deulofeu’s potential and they made use of their buy-back clause to bring their prodigal son back to Camp Nou.
Armed with an abundance of experience and skills, Javi Gracia must ensure that the 24-year-old combines well with club legend Troy Deeney, Richarlison and Andre Gray to put forth a solid attacking display in the upcoming season. And hopefully, his exploits will be enough to fire Watford into the top-half of the table.
