Troy Deeney believes his strike partner Odion Ighalo will stay at Watford• Deeney: ‘Do you sell Odion for £25m or stay up and get £200m? Simple maths’
• ‘Spurs paid us a big compliment when fielding three at the back’
Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo have scored 20 goals in 19 Premier League games this season. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Halfway through the season Watford are comfortably ensconced in the top half of the table, yet according to Troy Deeney they are considered by some to be Premier League paupers. The captain is confident they can maintain their impressive form in the new year but is baffled by the perception of them being “little Watford”.
Deeney also believes the most prolific goalscorer in the country during 2015, Odion Ighalo, will remain at Vicarage Road in the new year and has promised to make things difficult for Manchester City when they visit on Saturday evening.
“We’re still classed as ‘little Watford’,” Deeney said after Monday’s 2-1 defeat by Tottenham, a first loss in six. “I find it quite cute that people think we really are ‘little Watford’. But we cause people problems. The only point of reference is our own standards and we’ve just got to keep doing that.
“We can still make this an unbelievable season. We’ll keep going. It’s Man City next so we’ll definitely be up for that to bring in the new year and if we play like we did today we’ll cause anyone problems.
“We’ve held our own and shook up the league a little bit. The only reason we’re not getting more credit is because of how well Leicester have done. It’s one of those things. We’re happy to be under the radar. We’ll just do what we do.”
Yet plenty of respect has been afforded by recent opposition. Spurs changed to a three-man defence in an attempt to combat Deeney and Ighalo, while Chelsea shuffled their pack in the 2-2 draw on Boxing Day.
Before that Liverpool were hammered 3-0 and Deeney reckons no defence can tame a partnership that has been worth more than a goal per game (20 from 19 matches).
He added: “I don’t care who we’re up against. Our biggest task was supposed to be [Liverpool’s Mamadou] Sakho and [Martin] Skrtel. They were supposed to be too big, too strong, too powerful. Skrtel done a runner and Sakho had one. So, we’re not worried at all who we come up against and who we play against.
“The biggest compliment that’s been paid is that Spurs went three at the back. That shows teams are nervous about coming here.”
Deeney provided the assist for Ighalo’s 14th goal of this season and 30th of the calendar year and says they are laughing about speculation linking the Nigeria striker with a transfer elsewhere.
“He ain’t going in January,” Deeney added. “If no one wanted any of our players we’d be crap. So, come and want him as much as you want but I know Gino [Pozzo, the Watford owner] and it just wouldn’t make sense. Why would he sell a striker and want to stay in the league?
“The value of selling Odion for, what would he be worth? £20m, £25m? Or staying up and getting £200m? Simple business maths, he’s not going to sell him. Odion doesn’t come in saying: ‘I want to leave.’ He’ll just keep doing what he’s doing. We just laugh at it.”
Guardian
