Watford supporters may not be shocked that the £12.5 million signing is now a free agent – View.

Isaac Success failed to live up to his reputation at Watford, with four seasons at Vicarage Road proving to be a massive disappointment for all parties involved.

In the summer of 2016, Success joined the Hornets from Granada after demonstrating promising performance in La Liga. Watford paid a reported cost of £12.5 million for the Nigerian player, making him their biggest signing at the time.

The attacker was brought in as a potential answer to Watford’s Premier League goal-scoring problems, but he failed to deliver.

The Hornets were the fifth-lowest goalscorers in the Premier League last season, with 40 goals. Surely, a 20-year-old striker with top-flight talent might solve that problem. Unfortunately not.

Given his problems, Watford supporters may not be shocked that Success is currently without a club.

Watford supporters may not be shocked that their £12.5 million signing is now a free agent.

Unfortunately, the Hornets’ dismal debut season foreshadowed their future performance.

The Nigerian scored once in his rookie season, coming in as a substitute in a 2-2 tie with Bournemouth.

From that point on, injuries became an issue. Following a dismal start, he was loaned back to La Liga with Malaga, although he failed to score for the Spanish club.

Success’ Hornets career came to an end three seasons later, after struggling in a Championship promotion-winning campaign, with only six goals in 72 appearances.

Any Watford failure would eventually be transferred to sister club Udinese.

Success, who outscored Watford by one in his three seasons with the Italians, is currently without a club. That is unlikely to surprise fans of his previous team.

 

Hornets were naïve to pay an eight-figure amount for Success.

 

Watford have had a history of poor purchases, but their decision to invest in Success is notable.

Yes, Success performed admirably in La Liga with Granada, but do six goals in 30 games justify an eight-figure fee? The Hornets discovered the answer to that question the hard way.

The athlete felt that the toughness of the English game had held him back.

In an interview with TLN after his move to Udinese, he stated that the Italian game was better suitable for his playing style.

According to him, playing in Spain was more technical, whereas England was more muscular. And I believe that before I left Spain for England, I already had those two things in me, both physically and technically.

“So it was rather straightforward for me to collaborate with a handful of managers I met there. But now that I’m in Italy, I’m loving it because it’s all-around football, physically, aggressively, and strategically, and I’m adapting to it because I believe I have the necessary skills. And playing in a league like this has shown me a lot of promise.”

A potential we have yet to see.

At 28, you’d expect Success to be in his prime, but this would be tough without a team.

Moussa Sissoko may have returned to Vicarage Road for 2024/25, but a reunion with the free agent is not in the cards.

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