Watford are ready to allow their new boss Javi Gracia turn things around by signing Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona. Now that Ousmane Dembele is set to return to the starting lineup by February and Philippe Coutinho has arrived on record £142m transfer fee, the Spaniard’s chances have been cut short by Ernesto Valverde.
A product of the La Masia academy, Deulofeu came out with great promise but in the wrong climate. During his emergence as a senior player, Barcelona already had David Villa, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro and of course Lionel Messi in the final third – all established stars. He had to move away from Camp Nou to receive regular playing time and chose Everton. He broke into the Toffees first team under Roberto Martinez and the club purchased his services in the summer of 2015. In his two seasons with the Toffees, Deulofeu made 75 total appearances and scored only 8 times and registered 19 assists.
However, he fell out of favour with Ronald Koeman and had to again find himself a different club to play for. After spending a season with AC Milan and Everton expanding their plans by bringing in big money signings, Barcelona snapped up the opportunity to activate their buy-back clause and signed him for €12m.
When Neymar departed for Paris Saint-Germain last summer, the Catalan giants were left at a loss for a replacement. They reinvested the transfer fee on Dembele from Borussia Dortmund but still needed a backup option. When Dembele went down with a hamstring pull, Deulofeu had established himself on the left wing but has failed to replicate the quality of his predecessor.
It is hard to live up to the standards that the Brazilian superstar has set at Camp Nou and even with the help of Messi and Luis Suarez up top, any player would face a monumental challenge to replace him. Deulofeu, unfortunately, has been unable to live up to such lofty standards and might have to take his talents elsewhere.
Watford have just let go of Marco Silva as head coach and has appointed former Malaga boss, Javi Gracia. The side has lost its previous run of form which saw them challenge the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the European qualification spot. The Golden Boys are currently in the 10th spot of the points table and are slowly edging closer to a relegation battle.
Their resurrection will require more attacking threat and Deulofeu will deliver exactly that. The Spanish U21 captain is already accustomed to the English game and has the technical ability to break waves in the league alongside Richarlison. However, only time will tell whether the Hornets will be able to bring him to Premier League once again or not.
