/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60497951/839546606.jpg.0.jpg)
UPDATE: THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE WATFORD ISSUED THEIR ‘STATEMENT’, RESPONSE IS PUBLISHED HERE.
Watford FC are proving to be the money-grubbing, Premier League bottom-feeders they have always appeared to be, after all.
Reports in the Daily Mail indicate that the Hornets are looking to reinstate proceedings against Everton for a compensation claim that has previously proved to be too messy for even the Premier League to touch.
A quick reminder for those who have already dismissed this trivial matter to the dustbin it deserved to be consigned to.
Everton struggled to begin the last season under Ronald Koeman. Watford meanwhile were off to a flier under Marco Silva climbing all the way up to 4th place in the Premier League.
The Blues sacked Koeman in late October, and their search immediately included Silva. Everton offered to pay the Hornets well for their troubles, making multiple offers rumoured to be between £9-15million.
Watford, as is their right, refused outright. Everton went on to sign some dinosaur that destroyed the hopes of salvaging anything useful from the season. The Hornets meanwhile imploded and their season went down the tubes too, eventually sacking Silva in January -
“The catalyst for this decision is that unwarranted approach, something which the Board believes has seen a significant deterioration in both focus and results to the point where the long-term future of Watford FC has been jeopardised.”
Things didn’t end there though, with Watford instituting a complaint and a Premier League-led mediation meeting failing to settle the issue. Everton even offered to pay a goodwill sum of £1million in compensation that was rejected outright.
Then as the season drew to a close, Everton turned the tables on Watford warning of a counter-charge against the Hornets for tapping up Silva when he was still Hull City manager.
The recent transfer of Richarlison for an inflated amount of approximately £35million plus was expected to appease Watford, but instead now they’re back asking for more money again.
It is deliciously ironic that Watford, who have burned through nine managers since the beginning of the 2013-14 season just five years ago, are complaining that the Blues were a destabilizing factor.
If the matter is not resolved now after two mediation meetings between the two clubs, the Premier League will be forced to have an arbitration hearing.
NOTE: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Everton, Royal Blue Mersey, SBNation, the author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.