Watford journalist Adam Leventhal has been sharing some insight regarding Will Hughes’ current situation at the club and what the future could hold for the midfielder.
This comes after Leventhal co-hosted a recent episode of The Athletic’s Watford-themed podcast From the Rookery End, where he spoke about a range of topics concerning the Hornets.
On the topic of Hughes, who reportedly turned down a contract offer from the club earlier in the summer, Leventhal had this to say on the current situation surrounding the midfield man.
He said: “He’s been offered a new contract as we know, he’s turned it down, and is now considering his options.
“What’s really interesting is that there has not been any movement, and that tells me that he’s not high-enough priority for anyone else, and in the meantime, he is ultimately suffering because he’s not in the first-team group.
“He’s not training with the first team, he’s still in a state of limbo, and the situation now is that if no one does come in for him, then he will most likely see out the last year of his contract and have to wait for six months, playing with the U23s etc, be on the sidelines, if there is no agreement.”
Hughes joined Watford in the 2017 summer transfer window from Championship side Derby County for a fee of £8.19 million.
Since then, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £6.3 million, has made 118 appearances for the Hornets across all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing 10 assists in the process.
TIF Thoughts on Adam Leventhal’s comments on Hughes’ situation…
In our view, the fact that Watford offered Hughes a new contract shows just how much they valued the player and wanted him to continue at Vicarage Road for the foreseeable future.
Do you think Watford should get rid of Will Hughes this summer?
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If no other club decides to come forward and sign Hughes this summer, then his best option, in our view, would be for him to sign a new deal at Watford with a caveat that would allow him to leave the club in the future should he wish to at some point in the future if a club offers a suitable fee for him, or else his career could suffer by not being with the senior Watford team as Leventhal spoke about.
That said. whether the Hornets would be so willing to accommodate Hughes after his refusal to officially extend his stay at Vicarage Road is another matter.
However, with fellow Premier League side Newcastle United reportedly having made contact with the Hornets over Hughes’ situation, it will be intriguing to see what exactly will happen with the midfield man before the summer transfer deadline and what the future will hold for him.
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