The revolving door just keeps on going at Watford FC. In the last 10 years Watford have had 15 managers (16 if you include Hayden Mulins’ temporary stints). It is an obscene amount and could be argued as one of the easiest pay out jobs in modern football; even forex platforms are not that easy to make money on.
Roy Hodgson was the latest manager brought in with the hope that he could preserve Premier League football for the London club. However, the 74 year old was unable to keep the Hornets in the top division and they have been relegated to the Championship after just one season back in the Premier League.
With Hodgson departing at the end of the season, it has been announced that former Blackpool defender and Forest Green Rovers manager Rob Edwards will be taking charge of the Hornets when they return to the Championship. So could Edwards be about to nurture many Nigerian players?
How will this affect The Super Eagles?
Watford have had a history of signing Nigerian players with the club embracing Nigerian players as one of their own; ever since Odion Ighalo burst onto the scene for the club after signing for them on an initial loan deal from Udinese. He was a fan favourite in the Championship and was also able to recreate that form in the Premier League.
Since then the Watford squad is now populated with more Nigerian players. There are six players registered to the first team that are eligible for the Nigerian squad with four of them playing with the first team squad and two out on loan.
Peter Etebo, Emmanuel Dennis, Samuel Kalu, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Maduka Okoye and the national team captain William Troost-Ekong all play for Watford. However, they were unable to keep them in the top flight raising some questions.
The Nigerian side need these players. With three of them making the latest squad, it is important they are playing at the top of their game.
Will the Super Eagles players stay?
With relegation back to the Championship there is always speculation around players if they will stay or not because playing in the second division of a league is never as good as playing in the top league no matter if you lose to the bigger teams. You would much rather be mixing it with the big boys than in the second tier of English football.
With Etebo on loan from Stoke City, he is more than likely going to leave and head back to his parent club. With Kalu only signing in Janauary, he was fully aware that relegation was on the cards and will be staying for a season in the Championship. Both Okoye and Dele-Bashiru spent the season out on loan from the club and at 22 they may have to make a decision as to where their future lies, Watford may need them if there is an exodus of players.
The questions linger over the two main players Troost-Ekong and Dennis. Both have impressed this season and could be tempted by clubs in the Premier League if they are interested in them.
Dennis only signed for Watford this season and found the net ten times in the league meaning he could be an asset to a Premier League team especially one that might be fighting relegation as those goals could be the major difference.
As for Troost-Ekong, he has had a season with Watford in the Championship so may not be averse to playing for them in the league below again but he could easily have his head turned. As captain of the national team, it is important that he is a playing as high as possible to raise levels when he is on duty with the national side.
It could be beneficial for the national side to have so many players at one club and it would be ideal if they were flying in the Championship together. However, nothing is given to you in football.