Football League World
·17 August 2024
"What a servant" - Watford fan pundit lauds Troy Deeney agreement
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·17 August 2024
FLW's Watford fan pundit believes Troy Deeney is the club's biggest bargain signing since he has been following the Hornets
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Watford are striving to reach the Championship play-offs this season after finishing in a lowly 15th position last term, just two seasons after their most recent Premier League stint.
The Hornets enjoyed a five-season stay in the top-flight from the 2015/16 season until they were relegated back to the second tier at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
The Hertfordshire outfit also reached the FA Cup final in 2019, after winning 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final against Wolverhampton Wanderers in which they fell 2-0 behind.
It is fair to say that the Hornets have endured a range of ups and downs in recent years, and Football League World's Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, revealed who he thinks the club's biggest bargain signing is, from his time supporting the club.
Speaking to FLW, Justin said: "The player that's been the biggest bargain signing since I've been a fan of the club has to be Troy Deeney.
"He signed for, I think, half a million.
"What a servant to the club he was.
"Proper, modern day Watford legend.
"His record on the pitch speaks for itself, he paid back the club's kindness when he got himself into trouble and went to prison.
"Just an absolute Watford legend, so if you're talking about a bargain signing, we'd never heard of him before he came to us from Walsall.
"We weren't expecting anything, we certainly weren't expecting him to become a modern legend for the club, and yet that is exactly what he is."
As said by Justin, Deeney is deemed a legend at Vicarage Road, and it is clear to see why he is held in such high regard in Hertfordshire.
The Hornets signed the striker from Walsall in 2010 for a fee of £500,000 back in the summer of 2010, and he would remain with the club until 2021, when he joined Birmingham City.
According to FotMob, the 36-year-old scored 140 goals in 419 appearances, a statistic which epitomises both his longevity and his quality, while he also had a tendency to produce the goods for his team when it mattered most.
For example, he was the most composed man at Wembley Stadium during the previously mentioned 2019 FA Cup semi-final, when he slotted home from the penalty spot in the 94th minute to level the scores at 2-2.
Gerard Deulofeu went on to score the winner as the Hornets defeated Wolves 3-2, and reached their first FA Cup final since 1984, a feat which would not have been possible without Deeney's calmness under great pressure.
The Vicarage Road faithful will always remember the 2014/15 Championship season in which the Hornets won automatic promotion to the Premier League by finishing second in the table by earning 89 points.
This was a major achievement that Deeney was at the heart of, as he produced a remarkable return of 21 goals and 10 assists in 42 second tier appearances.
He then went on to make his best ever Premier League return by scoring 13 goals and creating eight assists during the 2015/16 top-flight campaign as the Hornets finished in an impressive 13th position.