Watford FC: £1.5m deal for foreign gem went from masterstroke to bad business | OneFootball

Heiðar Helguson proved an excellent signing for Watford, but they actually made a loss on his £1.5m signing

Heiðar Helguson is a familiar name in English football thanks to a near 15-year spell in this country which saw him play for a number of clubs, but it was at Watford where he made a name for himself.

The Icelandic striker joined then Premier League side Watford in 1999 from Norwegian side Lillestrom, and he'd go on to spend six years at Vicarage Road, becoming a real fan favourite during his time at Hertfordshire.

However, while Helguson was a very important player for the Hornets and relatively prolific in front of goal too, they actually made a loss on him when they sold him to Fulham in 2005, a strange feat considering the impact he made at the club.

Helguson was sold for a cut-price fee in the summer of 2005 with the cash-strapped Hornets left with no option but to sell, and it meant that he went from being a masterstroke signing to bad business as they lost money on him.

Heidar Helguson was an excellent signing, but Watford lost money on him

Helguson became Watford's record signing when he joined from Lillestrom for a fee of £1.5million in the winter transfer window of the 1999/00 season, and while he was unable to prevent the Hornets from being relegated to the First Division, he scored a very respectable six goals in 16 appearances.

Watford made a great start to the 2000/01 campaign, going unbeaten for their first 15 games, with Helguson in fine form, but a drop-off in form during the second part of the season saw them finish 9th, with the Icelandic striker scoring eight times in 33 appearances.

Helguson would only score seven times in 40 appearances during the 2001/02 season, but there was a marked improvement the following season, with 13 in 35, but it wasn't enough for the Hornets to win promotion as they finished 13th in the First Division.

Despite this, Helguson continued to be a popular figure at Vicarage Road, and while he endured a relatively tough 2003/04 season with just nine goals due to injuries, the following season really saw him come alive.

Remaining injury free, the Iceland international bagged 20 goals in 46 appearances across all competitions, an impressive feat for a side that finished 18th in the Championship, and he inevitably attracted interest from elsewhere.

With the Hornets looking to balance the books in the summer of 2005, Premier League side Fulham took advantage and snapped up the striker in a deal worth £1.3million, meaning that Watford had actually lost £200,000 on Helguson's signing.

It was rather strange that, despite scoring 20 goals the season before his exit, and scoring 63 goals in total since joining during the 1999/00 campaign, Watford actually made a loss on Helguson, bad business considering his pedigree.

Helguson's career after leaving Watford

Whilst Helguson left Vicarage Road on a permanent basis in 2005, it wasn't to be his final spell as a Watford player.

He spent two seasons at Craven Cottage, where he scored 15 times in 63 games for Fulham, before sealing a move to Bolton Wanderers in 2007.

However, his time in the North West didn't go as planned, and he made just ten appearances for the club before joining Championship side QPR on loan in November 2008, and his deal at Loftus Road was made permanent in January 2009.

After struggling for playing time at QPR during the first month of the 2009/10 season, Helguson joined Watford on a season-long loan, and the move to Hertfordshire saw him find some good form, scoring 11 times in 29 appearances, helping the club to a 16th place finish.

However, that loan spell at Watford helped reignite his QPR career, and he helped fire the Hoops to the Championship title during the 2010/11 season, scoring 13 goals in 34 appearances, and he took that goalscoring form into the top-flight.

QPR avoided relegation in famous circumstances on the final day of the 2011/12 season, and Helguson played an important role in that, scoring eight goals in 16 appearances, a very impressive return which made him their top goalscorer.

However, he'd join Championship club Cardiff City in the summer of 2012, and he had a positive impact on the Bluebirds too, scoring nine times helping them to the Championship crown, just like he'd done with QPR two years earlier.

That brought down the curtain on his career in English football, and he returned to his homeland for a spell with Skautafélag Reykjavíkur before retiring in 2015.

Helguson had a long and successful career in English football, but it's at Watford where he enjoyed his best days, and he's still fondly remembered at Vicarage Road now, despite making a loss when they sold him to Fulham.