The 10 best players Watford have let go of on a free transfer (Ranked) | OneFootball

Whilst Watford have cashed in on some key assets this summer in Joao Pedro and Ismaila Sarr, like with any club in the EFL, sometimes in the past, players have also departed for free.

With that said, here at FLW, we thought we'd take a look at the ten best players to leave Vicarage Road on a free transfer.

Of course, the term 'best' is very subjective, so to help us do this, we have used market values from Transfermarkt to help us out.

Therefore, this is a list on the ten best players to have left Watford on a free transfer in terms of their market value at the time of departure.

10 Gabriele Angella

The first player to feature on this list is former Hornets central defender Gabriele Angela.

Angela first joined the club in 2013, one year after the Pozzo family took over the club.

The Italian only played two full seasons at Vicarage Road, but during that time, he made 82 appearances.

Following his time at Watford, Angela went on to play for the likes of QPR, Udinese, Charleroi, and Perugia.

Perugia is where the central defender remains to this day, having featured 17 times in Serie B last season.

9 Andre Gray

Given the sheer amount of money that Watford paid for Andre Gray when they signed him from Burnley in 2017, it is shocking that he was let go on a free transfer at all.

However, the fact that he was is perhaps an indication of how his time at Watford went.

Despite having been signed for a reported fee of £18 million, Gray was never a prolific goalscorer at Vicarage Road, which, given his price, was often held against him.

In the end, the striker made 125 appearances for Watford, scoring 21 goals.

8 Britt Assombalonga

In at number eight on the best players Watford have let go on free transfers is a very recent release, Britt Assombalonga.

The striker only joined the Hornets back in January on a short-term contract, but after just a few performances, following which he picked up an injury, Assombalonga was let go.

Following his return to Watford and during his second spell at the club, Assombalonga made just 11 Watford appearances, scoring two goals.

Since departing Vicarage Road, the 30-year-old has returned to Turkish football, signing for Antalyaspor.

7 Ignacio Pussetto

Just like Britt Assombalonga, another player officially released by Watford this summer is Argentine Ignacio Pussetto.

The truth of the matter is, though, that the 27-year-old had not been playing at Vicarage Road for quite some time.

Indeed, having joined the club in 2020, Pussetto made seven appearances as Watford went on to suffer relegation.

Since then, he had loan spells at Udinese and Sampdoria before officially mutually terminating his contract this summer.

Pussetto landed on his feet, though, signing for Huracan, who play in the Argentine first division.

6 Nicolas N'Koulou

The second former Hornets central defender to make this list is Nicolas N'Koulou, who comes in at number six.

The former Cameroonian international had a very brief spell at Vicarage Road indeed, joining the club in October 2021 and departing the following summer.

During that time spell, N'Koulou made just 12 appearances for the Hornets in what was a dismal Premier League campaign.

Now 33, N'Koulou finds himself without a club at present, having most recently played for Aris Saloniki in Greece where he was teammate with another former Hornet on this list, Andre Gray.

5 Troy Deeney

Into the top five now and it is a Hornets legend in the shape of Troy Deeney.

Although past his peak when exiting Watford back in 2021, according to Transfermarkt market values, he is still one of the most valuable Watford players to be let go on a free transfer.

What can be said about Deeney's time at the club other than that he is one of the greatest players in Hornets history, particularly recent history.

The club's former number nine skippered the side to promotion in 2014/15 and during their Premier League years, which included an FA Cup final in 2019.

4 Albert Riera

In at four on the list would certainly not be a player this high up based on his time at Watford.

Indeed, Albert Riera made just eight appearances during his time at Vicarage Road, but despite that, it appears he was still valuable at the time of his departure.

This was despite joining the club on a free transfer from Udinese in 2014, and spending just months as a Hornet.

Following his time at Watford, Riera joined Udinese, and had spells with Mallorca, DNS Zavrc and FC Koper.

3 Nathaniel Chalobah

Former Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah comes in at number three on this list.

Indeed, leaving the club in the summer of 2021, Chalobah left to join Fulham on a free transfer.

These days, Chalobah is at fellow Championship side West Brom, where he is currently contracted until next summer.

During his two spells with Watford, Chalobah racked up 127 appearances. This included 38 Championship outings during the club's promotion winning campaign in 2020/21.

2 Danny Welbeck

Just missing out on the top spot in this list and coming in at number two is striker Danny Welbeck.

Welbeck joined the club in the summer of 2019, but would not go on to have a successful season at Vicarage Road.

Indeed, during his sole campaign with the club, Watford were relegated to the Championship.

During his time as a Hornet, Welbeck made 20 club appearances and scored three goals.

Following his exit from Vicarage Road, Welbeck joined Brighton, where he remains to this day.

1 Joshua King

Last but certainly not least, the best player that Watford have let go on a free transfer, in terms of market value, is striker Joshua King.

King joined the Hornets upon their return to the Premier League in 2021/22, but could not score the goals to keep the club in the division.

Indeed, in his 33 club appearances, he scored just five goals, with three of those coming in a single match.

Since departing Watford last summer following their drop to the Championship, King has been playing his football in Turkey with Fenerbahce, where he has so far scored eight goals in 31 appearances.