Andre Gray features: Watford FC's 5 biggest transfer flop signings from recent times | OneFootball

We looked at Watford's five most underwhelming signings of recent years.

Watford will be hoping for a much-improved campaign in the Championship this season.

It was an incredibly underwhelming season for the Hornets last term as they finished 15th in the table, but they have made a positive start to the new campaign under the guidance of head coach Tom Cleverley.

Cleverley is the 21st different manager to take charge of Watford since the takeover by the Pozzo family in 2012, but as well as the high turnover of managers, a number of players have come and gone at Vicarage Road over the years, and it is fair to say the club's signings have had mixed results.

The Hornets brought in 11 new signings this summer as part of a much-needed rebuild, with the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Moussa Sissoko, Festy Ebosele, Rocco Vata and Daniel Jebbison arriving at Vicarage Road, while there were also a number of departures, including Ben Hamer, Joao Ferreira, Jake Livermore, Ashley Fletcher and Mileta Rajovic.

It seems to have been a strong summer window this time around for Watford, but that has not always been the case, and we looked back at five of the club's biggest transfer flops in recent years.

Maduka Okoye

Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye joined Watford from Sparta Rotterdam in January 2022 for a fee in the region of €6 million (£5.1 million), but he returned to the Dutch side on loan for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

Okoye finally arrived at Vicarage Road in the summer of 2022, but he struggled to break into the team, making just two appearances in cup competitions during the 2022-23 campaign, with the Hornets losing 2-0 on both occasions.

The 25-year-old departed after just one season to join the other club owned by the Pozzo family, Udinese, and after replacing Marco Silvestri between the sticks last term, he has starred for the Serie A outfit.

Okoye's performances have been so impressive that he was reportedly the subject of interest from Inter Milan this summer, which will no doubt make his struggles at Watford even more frustrating for Hornets supporters.

Adalberto Penaranda

Penaranda made the move to Watford from Udinese in February 2016, and he was tipped by many to be the next wonderkid at Vicarage Road.

However, Penaranda was immediately loaned out to Granada, and he had further temporary spells with Udinese and Malaga before finally making his debut for the Hornets in a 2-0 win at Woking in the FA Cup in January 2019, almost three years after signing for the club.

If Watford supporters were hoping that would be the start of Penaranda establishing himself in the first team, it did not work out that way, and he spent time out on loan with Eupen, CSKA Sofia and Las Palmas before joining Boavista on a free transfer in September 2022.

In total, Penaranda scored two goals in four appearances for the Hornets, but there is no doubt that he failed to live up to expectations.

Obbi Oulare

Forward Obbi Oulare joined Watford from Belgian side Club Brugge for a fee of around £5 million in September 2015 following the club's promotion to the Premier League.

Oulare made his debut for the Hornets in a 1-0 home win over Newcastle United in the FA Cup in January 2016, but he was substituted at half time, and it did not get much better for him after that.

The 28-year-old made just two substitute appearances in the remainder of the 2015-16 season, and he spent the next three years out on loan with Zulte Waragem, Willem II, Antwerp and Standard Liege before joining the latter on a permanent basis in 2019.

Watford were not the only EFL club to experience frustration with Oulare, and he made just two appearances during an unsuccessful two-year spell at Barnsley between 2021 and 2023.

Isaac Success

Forward Isaac Success became Watford's club record signing when he joined the club from Granada for a fee in the region of £12.5 million in July 2016.

After struggling for game time in the early stages of his time at the club, Success joined Malaga on loan in January 2018, but his fortunes did not improve after returning to Vicarage Road.

Success certainly did not repay the club's significant investment in him, and after a disappointing five-year spell with the Hornets, he made the move to Udinese in August 2021, spending the next three seasons with the Italian side before being released this summer.

Andre Gray

Striker Andre Gray enjoyed prolific spells in English football with the likes of Luton Town, Brentford and Burnley, but the same cannot be said for his time at Watford.

Gray joined the Hornets from Burnley for a club record fee of around £18.5 million in August 2017, but he went on to score just 21 goals and provide eight assists in 125 appearances.

The 33-year-old was loaned out to Queens Park Rangers in August 2021 following Watford's promotion to the Premier League, and he was released the following summer after returning from Loftus Road.