Watford’s yoyoing between the Premier League and Championship will continue for a fourth consecutive campaign after the Hornets were relegated to the second tier.
The dynamic duo of Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington couldn’t inspire the Vicarage Road side to safety and the former England manager will depart the Hertfordshire-based club at the end of the campaign.
Former Forest Green Rovers boss Rob Edwards, who guided Rovers to the League Two title this season, will take over from Hodgson.
The 39-year-old will become Watford’s eighth permanent manager since the start of 2018.
Watford, who have 23 points, need at least a point against Chelsea on the final day of the season to match their worst points return in a Premier League campaign.
With several players likely to depart Vicarage Road this summer, TBR have put together a Watford XI if they kept their best players in recent years.
Watford XI if they kept their best players
Ben Foster
The 39-year-old former England international has already announced that he will leave Watford at the end of the season.
After two seasons on loan at the Hornets from 2005-07, Foster re-joined Watford from West Brom in July 2018.
But after making 200 appearances for the Vicarage Road side, Foster will start a new chapter this summer.
Ashley Young
After scoring 14 goals in the 2005-06 Championship campaign which saw Watford secure promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, Young impressed in his maiden season in the top-flight.
With three goals and five assists from 20 Premier League games, Martin O’Neil’s Aston Villa signed Young in January 2007 for £9.65m.
After 38 goals from 190 games during his first stint at Villa, Sir Alex Ferguson signed Young for £17m and brought the winger to Manchester United in June 2011.
Young, who came through the Watford Academy, won the Premier League title in Sir Alex’s last season in charge of the Reds. He won the Scudetto under Antonio Conte at Inter Milan last summer before returning to Villa last summer.
Craig Dawson
What an astute signing the 32-year-old has been for West Ham United and he scored two goals en-route to the Irons’ Europa League semi-final run.
Dawson only spent one full season at Vicarage Road and how Watford have missed his presence and authority at the back this campaign.
West Ham’s number 15 looks to be ageing like a fine wine and has become a vital part of Moyes’ side.
Etienne Capoue
Not a natural centre-back by any stretch of imagination, but we wanted to find a place for the Frenchman in this side.
The former Tottenham man spent five-and-a-half years with Watford before being signed for Villarreal by Unai Emery in January 2021.
Since joining the Yellow Submarine, the 33-year-old has helped the La Liga giants oust Manchester United to win last year’s Europa League, and beat Juventus and Bayern Munich en-route to reaching this year’s Champions League semi-finals.
Pervis Estupinan
The 23-time Ecuador international who is also thriving in Emery’s Villarreal side joined Watford from Serie A side Udinese in 2017.
But the left-back never played a senior game for the Hornets and after three consecutive season-long loan spells in Spain, Estupinan joined the El Madrigal side on a permanent basis for an initial £15m in September 2020.
In his two years in eastern Spain, Estupinan has made 72 appearances for Emery.
Abdoulaye Doucoure
Watford signed the Malian international from Ligue 1 side Rennes in February 2016 and then immediately loaned him out to La Liga side Granada.
The box-to-box midfielder became a key player for the Hornets and he was part of the side that played in the Premier League for four consecutive campaigns.
From 141 games for the Hertfordshire club, the 29-year-old scored 17 goals and laid on 12 assists.
But after being relegated to the Championship, Watford sold Doucoure, who was at the heart of the engine room, to Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton for £20m in September 2020.
Steven Berghuis
The Dutchman may have only played 11 games for Watford in his solitary campaign with the club, but his career has done nothing but take an upward trajectory since returning to his homeland.
Berghuis moved to Feyenoord on loan in 2016, but his form resulted in the Rotterdam-based giants signing the attacking midfielder on a permanent deal.
The 35-capped Netherlands international scored 87 goals and provided 64 assists from 199 games for Feyenoord before Erik ten Hag’s Ajax made their move.
In his one season with the incoming Manchester United manager, Berghuis won the Eredivisie for the second time in his career and from 46 games, he scored 12 goals and conjured up 14 assists.
Ismaïla Sarr
In the summer of 2019, Watford spent a club record £25m to bring the Senegalese winger to Vicarage Road from Rennes.
After dazzling in the Championship last season, its highly unlikely the African Cup of Nations winner stick around for another season in the second-tier of English football.
Newcastle United are reportedly keen on a move for the winger who has 24 goals and 18 assists from 92 Watford matches.
Sunday’s final game of the season against Chelsea is likely to be the last time Hornets fans get to see Sarr wearing their yellow shirt.
Richarlison
Watford signed the talented Brazilian from Fluminense for £11m in August 2017 and he featured in every Premier League game of the 2017-18 campaign.
The following summer, Richarlison was signed by Everton in a potential £50m deal and he was reunited with Marco Silva, who signed him for the Hornets.
But after four seasons with the Toffees, which have brought 52 goals from 151 games, it looks like the 25-year-old will be seeking a new challenge this summer.
Everton’s number seven has an impressive goalscoring return for the Brazilian national side with 13 goals from 34 caps and Richarlison will be hoping to play a starring role in Tite’s side at this winter’s World Cup.
Jadon Sancho
This is a Watford XI if they kept their best players and we must admit this is a left field inclusion, but one Watford fans will definitely be rueing.
After being part of the Watford Academy for eight years (2007-2015), Sancho was snapped up by Manchester City before making the brave move to Borussia Dortmund two-and-a-half years later.
The move to the Bundesliga giants proved to be the best decision he ever made and he established himself as one of the hottest talents across Europe with his influential match-winning performances.
With 50 goals and 64 assists from 137 Dortmund matches, Manchester United finally got their man for £73m last summer.
Emmanuel Dennis
Our Watford XI if they kept their best players is completed by undoubtedly the Hornets’ best player this season.
The 24-year-old won the Premier League Player of the Month award in November after picking up a goal and two assists in Watford’s 4-1 win over Manchester United, which resulted in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer losing his job.
While none of his teammates passed five Premier League goals, the Nigerian forward has scored 10 goals this season to go along with his six assists.
The former Club Brugge man, who was signed for £3m last summer, has been linked with a £20m move to West Ham in the summer.