WATFORD'S ROMANCE WITH NIGERIA

Following the announcement by Watford that Nigerian midfielder, Peter Etebo, has been signed on a one year loan deal from Stoke City, less than 24 hours later, Watford soon announced the signing of yet another player of Nigerian descent, Dapo Mebude from Rangers.

Dapo Mebude who is a Scotland youth international is eligible to play for Nigeria as he has not been capped by the Scotland national team as he is still very young and is still developing his game. 

He joined Watford from Glasgow Rangers who have opted to release him after he was unable to break into their first team. Mebude is a pacy forward and will probably have opportunities limited due to competition from more established forwards like Ismaila Sarr and the pressure on the Watford manager to hit the ground running and ensure Watford’s survival in the premier league.

Watford manager Xisco Munoz, who oversaw Watford’s promotion back into the the premier league, has 4 other Nigerians in his squad to call upon when needed and they include Super Eagles captain William Troost Ekong, Isaac Success, recent signing Emmanuel Dennis from Club Brugge and Tom Dele Bashiru. 

Of all the players mentioned, only Troost Ekong appears to be trusted by Munoz after appearing 32 times for Watford in the Championship last season. Isaac Success appears to be a squad player as he only appeared 9 times last season and has scored only just one goal. 

Dele Bashiru didn’t fare much better as he only appeared twice throughout the whole of last season. Bashiru is 21, still quite young and should have more opportunities in the League Cup and a handful of games in the premier league as a sub. 

What is baffling for me though, is how Isaac Success keeps getting contract extensions at Watford despite being largely unproductive in the last 2 or 3 seasons. He has made a total of 63 appearances spanning 5 years for Watford and has scored only 3 times. A pathetic stat for a forward if you ask me. 

Success and Bashiru have to do more if they want to be more than just squad players. They need to raise their game whenever they are called upon. Fortunately, Bashiru has time on his hands but Success on the other hand, not so much. 

I expect Etebo and Ekong to contribute immensely to the Watford cause in the coming EPL season as they are vastly experienced and seasoned internationals. 

Emmanuel Dennis, however, looks an interesting prospect as he comes with champions league pedigree and even though he fell out with Club Brugge and was subsequently loaned out to FC Cologne where he was unsettled, Watford provides a refreshing opportunity for him to rediscover the form that made him score 19 times for Club Brugge.