In August, Watford were odds-on to go straight back down to the Championship.
But with fifteen games to go, the Hornets find themselves in the top half of the Premier League table with the third-highest scorer in the league leading their line.
And while Odion Ighalo didn’t sign for Quique Sanchez Flores’ side in the past six months, Watford have certainly spent quite a lot in that time.
Window shut. Watford alone in 2015-16 spent more, net, than Arsenal, Spurs, Villa, Saints, Swans, Norwich COMBINED. pic.twitter.com/6JxwCG46Hm
— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) February 1, 2016
When it comes to net spend, the Hornets have splashed out more than the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
Watford, having invested £61.8m in new players and received just £5.6m in sales, have a higher net spend than 17 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs in the past two transfer windows.
The Hornets have used that spending to bring in first team players including Etienne Capoue from Spurs, though other new arrivals like Jose Holebas, Valon Behrami and Steven Berghuis have featured less regularly.
Last season’s Championship runners-up have a net spend higher than Arsenal, Spurs, Aston Villa, Southampton, Swansea and Norwich combined so it’s lucky that Sanchez Flores is getting such results out of the hefty investment made by owner Gino Pozzo.
If this is a case of Watford building a squad for a long-term future in England’s top flight then fair play to them for splashing out on such a talented group of players. But those figures could change drastically if they cash in on Odion Ighalo who is definitely worth at least €300 million. Ahem.
