Watford FC sourced great value with eight-figure Barcelona purchase - His impact was memorable | OneFootball

Gerard Deulofeu will go down as one of Watford's best ever players.

Watford FC sourced great value with their 2018 purchase of Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona.

After a successful loan spell, the Hornets paid Barcelona £11.5million for the winger’s services and it proved to be an inspired purchase.

Deulofeu had the ability to produce moments of magic out of nothing, and he became a crucial player for Watford over the course of his time at the club. He registered 10 goals and five assists from just 30 Premier League games in 2018/19, as well as netting a brace in the club’s victory over Wolves in the FA Cup semi-final that year.

Although he struggled for consistency at times, Deulofeu was a joy to watch when he was at the top of his game, and is widely regarded as one of Watford’s best ever players.

Deulofeu flourished at Watford

After coming through the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona, Deulofeu first came to England in 2013, when he joined Everton on a season-long loan deal.

The Toffees bought him two years later, parting with a reported fee of £4.2million to bring him to Merseyside on a permanent basis.

The Spanish forward performed well in his first campaign at Goodison Park, notching two goals and eight assists from just 26 games as Roberto Martinez’s side finished 11th in the Premier League.

However, with Ronald Koeman in charge for the 2016/17 season, Deulofeu found gametime hard to come by, and he was loaned to AC Milan in January 2017. In the following summer, he returned to his boyhood club on a permanent basis, with the Blaugrana understood to have activated their buy-back clause.

However, he lasted a matter of months back at the Nou Camp before he found himself back in England once again, this time on loan at Watford. Deulofeu made just seven appearances for the Hornets during that loan spell, but they had seen enough to convince them to make Barcelona an offer that they seemingly could not refuse.

Watford’s decision to buy Deulofeu was rewarded instantly. He produced several dazzling performances on his way to netting 10 Premier League goals and registering five assists in 2018/19.

That return helped the Hornets to an 11th-placed finish – the club’s highest ever finish during the Premier League era.

The winger topped that off with a brace, which included a delightful lob over Wolves ‘keeper Rui Patricio, to send Javi Gracia’s side to the FA Cup final.

They were ultimately dismantled by a rampant Manchester City in the final, but even making it that far provided a great source of pride for the club and its fans.

He followed up that impressive individual campaign with another productive season the following year, with four goals and five assists in what would ultimately prove to be his last season in Hertfordshire.

Ex-Watford star Gerard Deulofeu is now without a club

Deulofeu moved on loan to Udinese in October 2020, and went on to join the Italian outfit on a permanent deal.

He enjoyed a strong season in 2021/22, netting 13 times in Serie A and also contributing five assists. However, his career has faltered massively since then, as a result of an injury which kept him out for the majority of the 2022/23 season.

He was still recovering from that injury at the start of this term and, after ultimately failing to make a single appearance for Udinese in the first half of the season, he had his contract terminated by mutual consent in January.

Given how impressive he was at Watford, it’s a shame to see the winger’s career fade away like it has done. Still only 31, he may well be able to find a route back into the game this summer.

Ultimately, Deulofeu was never the most consistent player over his years spent in England, but when he was at the top of his game he was extremely hard to stop. He delivered several big moments during his spell with Watford and played a significant part in securing the club’s highest ever finish.

He also became the first Hornets man to score a top flight hat-trick since 1986, against Cardiff City in February 2019.

Looking back now, Watford will surely feel they got their money’s worth on their initial £11.5million deal.