Watford FC reaped rewards for their persistence with £500k transfer: View | OneFootball

Watford's persistence paid off with the signing of Troy Deeney from Walsall for around £500,000.

When it comes to signing a player, buying clubs will always be wary of overpaying, and that risk increases when the individual involved is unproven.

For Watford, Troy Deeney represented a major gamble, with the club identifying him as a target on the back of two productive years at Walsall, who were in League One at the time.

The striker had established himself as a regular for the Saddlers in the 2008/09 campaign, scoring 12 goals, and he followed that up with 14 the next season.

Therefore, a move was always on the cards, and it was ultimately the Hornets who sealed a deal for Deeney for an initial £500,000.

Watford remained strong in their pursuit of Troy Deeney

But, the transfer wasn’t straightforward, as Walsall boss Chris Hutchings revealed that the Midlands outfit had turned down several bids for the 22-year-old before an agreement was reached.

From Watford’s perspective, there would surely have been doubts about whether they should continue pursuing Deeney so aggressively.

He had not played higher than the third tier, and whilst he was scoring goals in League One, they weren’t exactly numbers that indicated he would handle the step up with ease.

However, to their credit, Watford finalised the deal, with those figures involved clearly confident that Deeney had something special about him.

And, it turned out to be a brilliant judgement call, as this move will go down as one of the best in Watford’s modern history.

Troy Deeney became a Watford legend

Things didn’t go to plan for Deeney at Vicarage Road straight away, as he scored just twice in his first season, although many of his 36 appearances came from the bench.

Nevertheless, few at that point would’ve envisaged going on to become a key figure for the club, but that’s exactly what he did.

The 2011/12 season saw Deeney hit double figures in the Championship, and that was just the start for the target man, as he quickly went through the gears in a yellow shirt.

Over the next three years, he became one of the most clinical Championship strikers of recent times, as he hit 65 goals in that period, 21 of which came in the 2014/15 season when the Hornets won promotion to the Premier League.

Promotion once again prompted questions about whether Deeney could cope, but he answered those emphatically, as he remained an influential figure in the team, even as new signings arrived, raising the level around the club.

By this stage, Deeney’s leadership was also evident, as he had been named as captain, with his personality on display every time he crossed the white line.

His desire and determination were huge as Watford went on to enjoy five successive years in the top flight, something they hadn’t done since the 1980s, with goals from the skipper crucial in that period.

Those highs didn’t last throughout Deeney’s period at Watford, as they were relegated, but he did play a role in helping the side back to the Premier League, before departing for boyhood club Birmingham City near the end of the summer window in 2021.

It was a swift exit for the striker and not the big send-off Deeney deserved considering he scored 140 goals in 419 games.