Official: Will Hughes joins Watford

[Cam the Ram]

On 2017-6-21 at 19:55, Cam the Ram said:

Yep that's the risk, but he's got three years left on his contract so it's not like we run the risk of losing him for nothing if Watford do go elsewhere. And at the very least I'd wait until the u21 Euros are over. One good performance (if Boothroyd ever gives him a chance) and suddenly a lot more eyes are on him.

It's almost as if you could see this coming a mile off.

[Spanish]

5 hours ago, Cam the Ram said:

Yep that's the risk, but he's got three years left on his contract so it's not like we run the risk of losing him for nothing if Watford do go elsewhere. And at the very least I'd wait until the u21 Euros are over. One good performance (if Boothroyd ever gives him a chance) and suddenly a lot more eyes are on him.

I guess the contract terms gave us no option just a hope that making it known that a club was interested would create a bidding war.  Fact is that nobody else was interested

[PistoldPete2]

5 hours ago, Cam the Ram said:

It's almost as if you could see this coming a mile off.

I remember when we signed asanovic ahead of the euros, sensibly before he came to more  attention on the stage. How ow much did Hendricks fee go up due to the euros last year.

oh we never seem to learn.

[LazloW]

Yep, clearly after a good 88 mins or so against the german u21 team (the only game he was selected in) would have overriden the five years of scouting people have been doing on Will and doubled his value overnight.  I doubt anybody would have known about him before last night and it would clearly have started a bidding war between Real and Barcelona for his services.  Give over.

[Jayram]

7 hours ago, Anon said:

What, on God's green earth, makes you believe this? We had several nothing games at the end of last season that would've been absolutely ideal for Rowett to have a look at some of our youth players. He played the exact same players he'd played in the previous 6 games. I hope he was watching the game tonight. Will's performance made him look like a right mug.

Forget it mate. Hughesy is gone and we will not see a player with his level of talent again for a long time. Instead we'll have to endure Butterfield pass a ball backwards and sideways and create nothing for 90 minutes along with the rest of the workhorses Rowett will fill the team with. None of the kids will get into the side unless they can run all day and hoof the ball miles. It's the Rowett way.

[DazzaRam]

Playing in an u21 game to the Championship is world's apart. I remember Hughes having a poor season last season. Do we just sweep that under the carpet now? Hughes is gone. The mentality and set up of the side has to change.

[MackworthRamIsGod]

I was gutted we sold Hughes and have been critical of the club about the fee, however.

Listening to Rowetts interview suggests Will was the driving force in him leaving and Rowett suggested that had he stopped Will from leaving we would have had an unhappy player, as he said it would have been a difficult situation. So clearly Will Hughes had told Rowett he wanted to leave at all costs.

My question to Will Hughes if ever I saw him would be, why does it take you until the u21 championship to show the kind of performance we know you are capable of? 

 

[eddie]

1 hour ago, LazloW said:

Yep, clearly after a good 88 mins or so against the german u21 team (the only game he was selected in) would have overriden the five years of scouting people have been doing on Will and doubled his value overnight.  I doubt anybody would have known about him before last night and it would clearly have started a bidding war between Real and Barcelona for his services.  Give over.

It's been clear to anybody with half a brain that Will Hughes is a better player when there are better players around him. Watford will be a stepping-stone for him and I am sure that he will thrive in the Premier league. I would not bet against him ending up in Spain though - and sooner rather than later.

[PistoldPete2]

14 minutes ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

I was gutted we sold Hughes and have been critical of the club about the fee, however.

Listening to Rowetts interview suggests Will was the driving force in him leaving and Rowett suggested that had he stopped Will from leaving we would have had an unhappy player, as he said it would have been a difficult situation. So clearly Will Hughes had told Rowett he wanted to leave at all costs.

My question to Will Hughes if ever I saw him would be, why does it take you until the u21 championship to show the kind of performance we know you are capable of? 

 

Hendrick had a poor season then a good euros . People have short attention spans and yes I believe a couple of games in a big tournament or in the prem and his price will start to soar .

[King Kevin]

Looks like we rolled the dice and lost ,may have had other interested clubs after last night .The club don't seem to think things through ,I really hope GR is the real deal because to say we are in a pivotal position may be a bit of an understatement.

[ronnieronalde]

8 hours ago, Anon said:

What, on God's green earth, makes you believe this? We had several nothing games at the end of last season that would've been absolutely ideal for Rowett to have a look at some of our youth players. He played the exact same players he'd played in the previous 6 games. I hope he was watching the game tonight. Will's performance made him look like a right mug.

To be fair Anon, it's said more out of hope than anything else. I don't want to start slating Gary so short into his reign. Not convinced by his first couple of deals but like him enough to give him a break.

I'm in the camp that if you don't rate Hughes then you're missing a trick.

Still without being daft about it, I'm more involved in what's happening down the road now and down the road I like what I see.

[cosmic]

It's like getting dumped then seeing a photo of your ex having a great bloody time without you. 

She was too good for you, cosmic. Let her go. Just let her go. 

 

[RoyMac5]

8 hours ago, Anon said:

What, on God's green earth, makes you believe this? We had several nothing games at the end of last season that would've been absolutely ideal for Rowett to have a look at some of our youth players. He played the exact same players he'd played in the previous 6 games. I hope he was watching the game tonight. Will's performance made him look like a right mug.

Errr, he did say he would have played some but they were injured or not available (ie on loan?).

As for Will's performance - he went off with cramp, didn't he? - it wasn't a lot different, not as good even, as the Denmark game where he was captain too. There's plenty of evidence of Will's skills I'm sure a short run out last night made little difference for the big clubs. I think he and GR weren't suited to each other, shall we say, and Will was just waiting on an offer.

[DarkFruitsRam7]

[DarkFruitsRam7]

[EnigmaRam]

I seem to remember a certain sissoko having a rubbish season in a relegated team then have a couple of Hal's decent games in an international tournament to go for £25 mil so it does make a difference.

hes gone, Rowetts cocked up and we know it. As for last season, did he really have a bad season or was it more the majority of the team did, changing managers and styles hurt his game and made him look poor? It's hard to carry a team each and every game.

put a proper DM behind him and a runner next to him and he is twice the player

[Cam the Ram]

2 hours ago, LazloW said:

Yep, clearly after a good 88 mins or so against the german u21 team (the only game he was selected in) would have overriden the five years of scouting people have been doing on Will and doubled his value overnight.  I doubt anybody would have known about him before last night and it would clearly have started a bidding war between Real and Barcelona for his services.  Give over.

So you don't think it's possible a team searching for a new centre mid could have seen the match and decided to have a closer look at him after that performance? It's not like it was a 1 off pre-season match, he was 1 of the best players on the pitch against a Germany team with probably close to 1000 Bundesliga appearances between them. I'm pretty sure a number of players from the Spain u21 team have gained new admirers after their performances as well.

[GermanRam]

Buying players just because of a good tournament just shows there's something wrong with your scouting system (spurs and sissoko.. still cant believe that one).

Every player participating in this tournament is already scouted and known. 

 

[LazloW]

2 minutes ago, Cam the Ram said:

So you don't think it's possible a team searching for a new centre mid could have seen the match and decided to have a closer look at him after that performance? It's not like it was a 1 off pre-season match, he was 1 of the best players on the pitch against a Germany team with probably close to 1000 Bundesliga appearances between them. I'm pretty sure a number of players from the Spain u21 team have gained new admirers after their performances as well.

It is possible, but unlikely.  Will is not an unknown quantity. If rumour is to be believed, very big clubs across Europe have been watching him for years. They will know what he capable of and one performance in an u21 competition is unlikely to make any club part with several million pounds if they weren't already thinking of going for him.  

This isn't the same as Jeff excelling in a major tournament (even if that did have a bearing on his fee).  

I should make it clear that I'm not advocating the selling of Will and am not happy he has gone, but I can understand why it has happened and am reflecting on the fact that there wasn't a huge queue of people lining up to sign him, which must say something.  I don't think last night would have realistically increased this queue and I just think the wailing and gnashing of teeth over either his departure or fee is a bit OTT and not always rational.  Each to their own though, I'm just looking forward to the next kid coming through.

[cheron85]

44 minutes ago, LazloW said:

It is possible, but unlikely.  Will is not an unknown quantity. If rumour is to be believed, very big clubs across Europe have been watching him for years. They will know what he capable of and one performance in an u21 competition is unlikely to make any club part with several million pounds if they weren't already thinking of going for him.  

This isn't the same as Jeff excelling in a major tournament (even if that did have a bearing on his fee). 

I agree that one swallow doesn't make a summer but also I don't think it's like Hendrick was world class or anything at the Euros

I think the problem is that big fees are for 'guaranteed' quality or 'potential' and at 22 Hughes needs to be in the former rather than the latter category for most teams - Hence the lack of interest - He's made it VERY clear over the last few years that he will only move for first team football which restricts the number of teams willing to take a punt on him - And therefore restricting the amount we can get for him

Unfortunately I think the biggest factor in us 'losing out' on money for him is his own (brilliant) attitude of wanting to play football and not sit around bench warming! I feel a little like it's the same way we got Ince for such a steal...