Will Hughes has joined Watford for a reported fee in the region of £8million, and in doing so becomes Marco Silva’s first signing as Vicarage Road boss.
Silva replaced the sacked Walter Mazzarri earlier this month, after the Hornets felt the unpopular Italian was making no progress with matters on the field. Although they finished six points above the relegation zone last season, this was just one position above the bottom three, and the fans were growing increasingly agitated by the former Inter Milan head coach.
Ironically, the side they finished directly above was Silva’s Hull City, but the Portuguese had only been installed as manager in January when he replaced the sacked Mike Phelan, and it is widely accepted the Tigers improved greatly under his leadership. He will now be looking to make a similar impact at Watford, and he has begun adding to his squad with the capture of Hughes.
The 22-year-old is currently away with the England Under-21 side as they prepare for a semi-final date with Germany, but this hasn’t prevented him from agreeing a five-year contract at Vicarage Road. It is believed the Premier League club have paid a fee in the region of £8million for the Derby County midfielder, who made 187 appearances for the Rams after debuting as a 16-year-old.
