2015–16 Watford F.C. season

Watford
2015–16 season
Owner	Gino Pozzo
Chairman	Raffaele Riva
Manager	Quique Sánchez Flores
Stadium	Vicarage Road Stadium
Premier League	13th
FA Cup	Semi-finals
League Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: Odion Ighalo (15); All: Odion Ighalo (17)
Home colours	Away colours

The 2015–16 season was Watford's 135th year in existence and first season back in the Premier League after gaining promotion the previous season. This season Watford participated in the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. The season covers the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.

Pre-season friendlies

On 14 May 2015, Watford announced they would travel to Wimbledon on 11 July in a pre-season friendly. On 10 June, a trip to Germany was confirmed. On 18 June, the Hornets announced 2015 UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla would visit on 1 August. A day later, a fifth pre-season friendly was confirmed against Cardiff City. On 1 July, Watford announced they will kick pre-season off with a trip to St Albans City. On 10 July, the Hornets confirmed they would travel to Scotland to face Dundee United on 25 July.

8 July 2015 Friendly	St Albans City	0–4	Watford	St Albans
19:45 BST		Report	Ighalo 32', 35' Deeney 67' Smith 88'	Stadium: Clarence Park Referee: David Rock

11 July 2015 Friendly	Wimbledon	2–2	Watford	Norbiton
15:00 BST	Kennedy 12' (pen.) Francomb 90' (pen.)	Report	Ighalo 34' Forestieri 52'	Stadium: Kingsmeadow Attendance: 2,988 (1,307 away fans) Referee: Tim Robinson

15 July 2015 Friendly	SC Verl	1–4	Watford	Magdeburg, Germany
19:30 CEST	Al-Ghaddioui 64' (pen.)	Report	Ighalo 16', 39' Anya 41' Dyer 72'	Stadium: Stadion an der Poststraße

17 July 2015 Friendly	Eintracht Braunschweig	P–P	Watford	Braunschweig, Germany
19:30 CEST				Stadium: Eintracht-Stadion

19 July 2015 Friendly	SC Paderborn	0–2	Watford	Paderborn, Germany
14:00 CEST		Report	Vydra Ighalo	Stadium: Benteler Arena

25 July 2015 Friendly	Dundee United	0–1	Watford	Dundee, Scotland
15:00 BST		Report	Deeney 53'	Stadium: Tannadice Park

28 July 2015 Friendly	Cardiff City	2–1	Watford	Cardiff, Wales
19:45 BST	Mason 19', 80'	Report	Deeney 30'	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium

31 July 2015 Friendly	Watford	0–1	Sevilla	Watford
19:45 BST		Report	Vitolo 70'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 8,947 Referee: Kevin Friend

Competitions

Overall

Competition	Started round	Current position / round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
Premier League	—	—	13th	8 August 2015	15 May 2016
FA Cup	Third round	—	Semi-finals	9 January 2016	24 April 2016
League Cup	Second round	—	Second round	25 August 2015	25 August 2015

Updated to match played 16 May 2016
Source: Competitions

Overview

Competition	Record
Competition	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Premier League	38	12	9	17	40	50	−10	031.58
FA Cup	5	4	0	1	6	3	+3	080.00
League Cup	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Total	44	16	9	19	46	54	−8	036.36

Updated to match played 16 May 2016
Source: Competitions

Premier League

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
11	Everton	38	11	14	13	59	55	+4	47
12	Swansea City	38	12	11	15	42	52	−10	47
13	Watford	38	12	9	17	40	50	−10	45
14	West Bromwich Albion	38	10	13	15	34	48	−14	43
15	Crystal Palace	38	11	9	18	39	51	−12	42

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	12	9	17	40	50	−10	45	6	6	7	20	19	+1	6	3	10	20	31	−11

Last updated: 21 May 2016.
Source:

Results by matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H
Result	D	D	D	L	W	W	L	D	L	W	W	L	L	W	W	W	W	D	L	L	L	L	W	D	L	W	D	L	L	L	L	D	W	L	W	L	L	D
Position	5	11	11	16	12	9	13	11	14	12	9	11	13	11	9	7	7	7	8	9	10	12	10	9	10	8	10	12	12	14	14	15	12	12	12	13	13	13

Updated to match(es) played on 21 April 2016. Source: Statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

On 17 June 2015, the fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.

Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture

8 August 2015 1	Everton	2–2	Watford	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Coleman 54' Barkley 76' Koné 86'	Report	Layún 14' Deeney 42' Holebas 66' Ighalo 83'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 39,063 Referee: Mike Jones

15 August 2015 2	Watford	0–0	West Bromwich Albion	Watford
15:00 BST	Nyom 90+1'	Report	Olsson 31' Lambert 66'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,011 Referee: Paul Tierney

23 August 2015 3	Watford	0–0	Southampton	Watford
16:00 BST		Report	Wanyama 28' Romeu 57'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,166 Referee: Andre Marriner

29 August 2015 4	Manchester City	2–0	Watford	Manchester
15:00 BST	Kompany 40' Sterling 47' Fernandinho 56'	Report	Nyom 43' Prödl 63'	Stadium: Etihad Stadium Attendance: 53,218 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

12 September 2015 5	Watford	1–0	Swansea City	Watford
15:00 BST	Ighalo 59' Behrami 64'	Report		Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,057 Referee: Robert Madley

19 September 2015 6	Newcastle United	1–2	Watford	Newcastle
15:00 BST	Janmaat 68' Colback 89'	Report	Ighalo 10', 28' Abdi 36' Capoue 80'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 47,806 Referee: Roger East

27 September 2015 7	Watford	0–1	Crystal Palace	Watford
16:00 BST		Report	Cabaye 71' (pen.)	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,168 Referee: Anthony Taylor

3 October 2015 8	AFC Bournemouth	1–1	Watford	Bournemouth
15:00 BST	Murray 28', 43'	Report	Ighalo 45' Gomes 84'	Stadium: Vitality Stadium Attendance: 11,187 Referee: Michael Oliver

17 October 2015 9	Watford	0–3	Arsenal	Watford
17:30 BST	Nyom 47' Gomes 63'	Report	Mertesacker 59' Sánchez 62' Giroud 68' Ramsey 74'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,721 Referee: Mike Jones

24 October 2015 10	Stoke City	0–2	Watford	Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 BST	Whelan 76' Pieters 88' Adam 89'	Report	Deeney 43' Abdi 69' Ighalo 88'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 27,587 Referee: Martin Atkinson

31 October 2015 11	Watford	2–0	West Ham United	Watford
15:00 GMT	Ighalo 39', 48' Nyom 66' Aké 81' Capoue 85'	Report	Collins 84'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,598 Referee: Keith Stroud

7 November 2015 12	Leicester City	2–1	Watford	Leicester
15:00 GMT	Kanté 53' Vardy 65' (pen.)	Report	Gomes 65' Deeney 76' (pen.)	Stadium: King Power Stadium Attendance: 32,029 Referee: Roger East

21 November 2015 13	Watford	1–2	Manchester United	Watford
12:45 GMT	Watson 68' Deeney 87' (pen.)	Report	Depay 11' Young 74' Lingard 75' Deeney 90' (o.g.)	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,702 Referee: Robert Madley

28 November 2015 14	Aston Villa	2–3	Watford	Birmingham
15:00 GMT	Richards 41' Clark 88' Ayew 89' Sánchez 90'	Report	Ighalo 17' Watson 40' Hutton 69' (o.g.) Capoue 74' Deeney 85', 86' Aké 90'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,057 Referee: Lee Mason

5 December 2015 15	Watford	2–0	Norwich City	Watford
15:00 GMT	Deeney 30' (pen.), 57' Watson 60' Ighalo 90', 90+2'	Report	Tettey 29' Bennett 77' Brady 87'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,422 Referee: Mike Dean

12 December 2015 16	Sunderland	0–1	Watford	Sunderland
15:00 GMT	Rodwell 60'	Report	Ighalo 4'	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 43,989 Referee: Graham Scott

20 December 2015 17	Watford	3–0	Liverpool	Watford
13:30 GMT	Aké 3' Ighalo 15', 85' Britos 78'	Report		Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,707 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

26 December 2015 18	Chelsea	2–2	Watford	London
15:00 GMT	Costa 32', 65', 88' Oscar 80'	Report	Deeney 42' (pen.) Britos 44' Cathcart 49' Cahill 56' (o.g.) Holebas 81' Behrami 83'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,620 Referee: Andre Marriner

28 December 2015 19	Watford	1–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Watford
15:00 GMT	Ighalo 41', 65' Britos 52' Jurado 58' Aké 63' Deeney 64'	Report	Alli 6' Lamela 17' Alderweireld 81' Son 89'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,730 Referee: Anthony Taylor

2 January 2016 20	Watford	1–2	Manchester City	Watford
17:30 GMT	Nyom 38' Watson 55'	Report	Touré 82' Agüero 84'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,676 Referee: Martin Atkinson

13 January 2016 21	Southampton	2–0	Watford	Southampton
19:45 GMT	Long 16' Cédric 24' Tadić 74'	Report	Prodl 67' Deeney 77'	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 28,399 Referee: Craig Pawson

18 January 2016 22	Swansea City	1–0	Watford	Swansea
20:00 GMT	Williams 27' Britton 62' Sigurðsson 90'	Report	Jurado 22' Nyom 33'	Stadium: Liberty Stadium Attendance: 20,430 Referee: Michael Oliver

23 January 2016 23	Watford	2–1	Newcastle United	Watford
15:00 GMT	Ighalo 46' Behrami 56' Cathcart 58' Britos 68'	Report	Mbemba 51' Lascelles 71'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,611 Referee: Andre Marriner

3 February 2016 24	Watford	0–0	Chelsea	Watford
19:45 GMT	Prödl 19' Paredes 45+2'	Report	Costa 45+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,910 Referee: Mike Dean

6 February 2016 25	Tottenham Hotspur	1–0	Watford	London
15:00 GMT	Trippier 64'	Report	Capoue 60'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,997 Referee: Roger East

13 February 2016 26	Crystal Palace	1–2	Watford	London
15:00 GMT	Adebayor 45' Souaré 90+4'	Report	Deeney 16' (pen.), 82' Suárez 76'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Referee: Robert Madley

27 February 2016 27	Watford	0–0	AFC Bournemouth	Watford
15:00 GMT	Watson 77' Behrami 82' Cathcart 89'	Report	Surman 85'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,831 Referee: Anthony Taylor

2 March 2016 28	Manchester United	1–0	Watford	Manchester
20:00 GMT	Fosu-Mensah 23' Mata 83'	Report	Britos 82' Amrabat 90+2'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,272 Referee: Mike Jones

5 March 2016 29	Watford	0–1	Leicester City	Watford
17:30 GMT	Amrabat 29' Aké 58'	Report	Mahrez 56' Fuchs 74' Morgan 90+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,884 Referee: Jonathan Moss

19 March 2016 30	Watford	1–2	Stoke City	Watford
15:00 GMT	Capoue 41' Nyom 45' Guedioura 83' Deeney 86'	Report	Walters 18', 76' Joselu 51'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,759 Referee: Craig Pawson

2 April 2016 31	Arsenal	4–0	Watford	London
15:00 BST	Sánchez 4' Iwobi 38' Bellerín 48' Elneny 84' Walcott 90'	Report	Nyom 61'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,981 Referee: Anthony Taylor

9 April 2016 32	Watford	1–1	Everton	Watford
15:00 BST	Capoue 13' Holebas 45+2' Ighalo 90+3'	Report	McCarthy 43', 45+1'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,663 Referee: Kevin Friend

16 April 2016 33	West Bromwich Albion	0–1	Watford	West Bromwich
15:00 BST	Berahino 67', 87'	Report	Watson 27' Britos 32' Gomes 67' Deeney 86'	Stadium: The Hawthorns Referee: Michael Oliver

20 April 2016 34	West Ham United	3–1	Watford	London
19:45 BST	Carroll 11' Noble 45' (pen.), 53' (pen.)	Report	Prödl 22', 64' Suárez 71' Amrabat 76' 90+3'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,857 Referee: Mike Dean

30 April 2016 35	Watford	3–2	Aston Villa	Watford
15:00 BST	Abdi 45+2', 82' Deeney 90', 90+3' Berghuis 78'	Report	Clark 28' Gueye 45+1' Ayew 48' Cissokho 73' Bunn 77'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,653 Referee: Anthony Taylor

8 May 2016 36	Liverpool	2–0	Watford	Liverpool
16:00 BST	Allen 35' Flanagan 63' Firmino 76'	Report	Britos 59' Berghuis 73'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 43,341 Referee: Lee Mason

11 May 2016 37	Norwich City	4–2	Watford	Norwich
19:45 BST	Redmond 15' Mbokani 18', 57' Cathcart 37' (o.g.) Bennett 47' Odjidja-Ofoe 84'	Report	Deeney 11' Abdi 43' Ighalo 51' Watson 67' Aké 83'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 26,279 Referee: Roger East

15 May 2016 38	Watford	2–2	Sunderland	Watford
15:00 BST	Prödl 48' Deeney 61' (pen.) Guedioura 80'	Report	Rodwell 39' Lens 51'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 21,012 Referee: Kevin Friend

FA Cup

Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture

9 January 2016 Third round	Watford	1–0	Newcastle United	Watford
15:00 GMT	Deeney 44' Guedioura 83'	Report	Tiote 37'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 18,259 Referee: Roger East

30 January 2016 Fourth round	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Watford	West Bridgford
15:00 GMT	Ward 60' Lichaj 90+4'	Report	Amrabat 82' Ighalo 88'	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 24,703 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

20 February 2016 Fifth round	Watford	1–0	Leeds United	Watford
15:00 GMT	Paredes 32' Wootton 53' (o.g.) Cathcart 67'	Report	Bellusci 24' Bridcutt 52'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 18,336 Referee: Michael Oliver

13 March 2016 Quarter-finals	Arsenal	1–2	Watford	London
13:30 GMT	Welbeck 88'	Report	Ighalo 50' Guedioura 63'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 58,436 Referee: Andre Marriner

24 April 2016 Semi-finals	Crystal Palace	2–1	Watford	London
16:00 BST	Bolasie 6' Dann 54' Wickham 61'	Report	Jurado 38' Deeney 55', 89' Suárez 79'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 79,110 Referee: Craig Pawson

League Cup

Watford entered the competition in the second round and were drawn away to Preston North End.

Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture

25 August 2015 Second round	Preston North End	1–0	Watford	Preston
19:45 BST	Vermijl 8' Woods 34' Reid 64'	Report	Britos 75'	Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 6,250 Referee: Steve Martin

Staff

Squad information and statistics

No. = Squad number

Pos = Playing position

P = Number of games played

G = Number of goals scored

= Yellow cards

GK = Goalkeeper

DF = Defender

MF = Midfielder

FW = Forward

= Red cards

Yth = Whether player went through Watford's youth system

Joined club = Year that player became a Watford first team player

Age = Current age

† Loan player

Statistics correct as of 2 April 2016.

2015–16 Watford player details
No.	Pos	Name	P	G	P	G	P	G	P	G			Age	Joined club	Yth	Notes
No.	Pos	Name	Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Discipline		Age	Joined club	Yth	Notes
1	GK	Heurelho Gomes	38	0	1	0	0	0	39	0	0	0	42	2014	No	—
2	DF	Allan Nyom	29+3	0	4	0	0	0	33+3	0	8	0	35	2015	No	—
3	DF	Miguel Britos	24	0	2	0	1	0	27	0	6	1	38	2015	No	—
4	MF	Mario Suárez	8+7	0	1+1	0	0	0	9+8	0	1	0	36	2016	No	—
5	DF	Sebastian Prödl	19+2	2	3	0	0	0	22+2	2	4	0	36	2015	No	—
6	DF	Joel Ekstrand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	34	2012	No	—
7	MF	José Manuel Jurado	27	0	2+1	0	0	0	29+1	0	3	0	37	2015	No	—
8	MF	Valon Behrami	14+7	0	1	0	0	0	15+7	0	3	1	38	2015	No	—
9	FW	Troy Deeney	36+2	13	5	2	0	0	41+2	17	5	0	35	2010	No	—
10	FW	Obbi Oularé	0+2	0	1	0	0	0	1+2	0	0	0	28	2015	No	—
11	MF	Nordin Amrabat	4+8	0	2+1	0	0	0	6+9	0	2	0	36	2016	No	—
13	GK	Rene Gilmartin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2014	No	—
14	DF	Juan Carlos Paredes	7+10	0	1+1	0	1	0	9+11	0	2	0	36	2014	No	—
15	DF	Craig Cathcart	34+1	1	5	0	0	0	39+1	1	4	0	34	2014	No	—
16	DF	Nathan Aké	20+4	1	3	0	1	0	24+4	1	2	1	28	2015	No	†
17	MF	Adlène Guedioura	3+15	0	3+2	1	0	0	6+17	1	2	0	38	2015	No	—
18	GK	Costel Pantilimon	0	0	4	0	0	0	4	0	1	0	36	2016	No	—
19	FW	Víctor Ibarbo	0+4	0	0	0	0	0	0+4	0	0	0	33	2015	No	† Loan terminate
20	MF	Steven Berghuis	0+9	0	1	0	0+1	0	1+10	0	0	0	32	2015	No	—
21	MF	Ikechi Anya	17+11	0	1+4	0	0	0	18+15	0	0	0	36	2012	No	—
22	MF	Almen Abdi	25+7	2	3+2	0	1	0	29+9	2	2	0	37	2012	No	—
23	MF	Ben Watson	31+4	2	5	0	1	0	37+4	2	3	0	38	2015	No	—
24	FW	Odion Ighalo	36+1	15	2+3	2	0	0	38+4	17	3	0	34	2014	No	—
25	DF	José Holebas	11	0	2	0	0	0	13	0	2	0	39	2015	No	—
26	FW	Bernard Mensah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	2011	Yes	—
27	DF	Essaïd Belkalem	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35	2013	No	—
28	MF	Connor Smith	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	30	2011	Yes	—
29	MF	Étienne Capoue	33	0	3	0	0	0	36	0	6	0	35	2015	No	—
30	DF	Jorell Johnson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	2014	Yes	—
31	DF	Tommie Hoban	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2011	Yes	—
32	MF	Alessandro Diamanti	0+3	0	0	0	0	0	0+3	0	0	0	40	2015	No	† Loan terminate
33	MF	Lloyd Dyer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	41	2014	No	Contract terminate
34	GK	Giedrius Arlauskis	0+1	0	0	0	1	0	1+1	0	0	0	36	2015	No	Out on loan
35	DF	Josh Doherty	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2014	Yes	—
36	FW	Alex Jakubiak	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2014	Yes	—
37	DF	Alfie Young	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	2015	Yes	—
38	DF	Mahlondo Martin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	2015	Yes	—
39	FW	Dennon Lewis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	2015	Yes	—
40	MF	George Byers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2014	Yes	—
—	DF	Gabriele Angella	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	34	2013	No	Out on loan
—	DF	Daniel Pudil	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	38	2012	No	Out on loan
—	DF	Juanfran	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35	2015	No	Out on loan
—	MF	Abdoulaye Doucouré	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	2016	No	Out on loan
—	MF	Miguel Layún	2+1	1	0	0	1	0	3+1	1	0	0	35	2015	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Adalberto Peñaranda	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	26	2016	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Diego Fabbrini	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	2013	No	Sold
—	FW	Fernando Forestieri	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	34	2012	No	Sold
—	FW	Matěj Vydra	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	31	2015	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Uche Ikpeazu	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	2013	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Mathias Ranégie	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	39	2014	No	Out on loan

For players who came through the club's youth system the date used refers to when they signed a professional contract, unless they appeared in a first-team match-day squad prior to that, in which case that date is used.
A dagger is only displayed if the player was exclusively a loan player during the 2015–16 season. If they signed permanently over the course of the season then it is not displayed.
All players who have been signed to the club since the opening day of the 2015–16 season are listed. Scholars with professional contracts are not listed unless they appear in a first-team matchday squad.

Non-playing staff

Head-coach: Quique Sánchez Flores
Assistant coach: Dean Austin
Assistant coach: Antonio Díaz Carlavilla
Assistant coach: Alberto Giráldez
Goalkeeping coach: Paolo De Toffol
Goalkeeping coach: Alec Chamberlain
Technical director: Luke Dowling
Chief scout: Filippo Giraldi
Under-21 coach: Harry Kewell
Academy manager: Chris McGuane
Lead professional development coach: David Horseman
Academy head of coaching: Barry Quin
Head of medical: Richard Collinge
Head of sports science: Gianni Brignardello
Sport scientist: Ben Dixon
Head of Prevention and Osteopath: Daniel Reguera
First-team Sports Rehabilitation: Mike Spanou
First-team Sports Rehabilitation: Moto Watanabe
Kit manager: Will Jones

Information correct as of 24 May 2016.

Transfers

In

Date	Player	From	Fee
30 June 2015	Juanfran	Real Betis	£1,500,000
1 July 2015	Giedrius Arlauskis	Steaua București	Free
1 July 2015	Sebastian Prödl	Werder Bremen	Free
1 July 2015	Matěj Vydra	Udinese	Undisclosed
2 July 2015	José Holebas	Roma	£1,800,000
6 July 2015	Étienne Capoue	Tottenham Hotspur	Undisclosed (~ £5,700,000)
11 July 2015	Valon Behrami	Hamburger SV	Undisclosed (~ £3,000,000)
14 July 2015	Allan Nyom	Udinese	Undisclosed
22 July 2015	Miguel Britos	Napoli	Free
22 July 2015	José Manuel Jurado	Spartak Moscow	Undisclosed
23 July 2015	Steven Berghuis	AZ	£4,600,000
1 September 2015	Adlène Guedioura	Crystal Palace	Undisclosed
1 September 2015	Obbi Oularé	Club Brugge	Undisclosed
18 January 2016	Nordin Amrabat	Málaga	Undisclosed
19 January 2016	Costel Pantilimon	Sunderland	Undisclosed
30 January 2016	Mario Suárez	Fiorentina	Undisclosed (~ £4,000,000)
1 February 2016	Abdoulaye Doucouré	Rennes	Undisclosed
1 February 2016	Adalberto Peñaranda	Udinese	Undisclosed

Out

Date	Player	Transferred to	Fee
19 May 2015	Marco Motta	n/a	Free (Released)
19 May 2015	Luke O'Nien	Wycombe Wanderers	Free transfer (Released)
19 May 2015	Vujadin Savić	Sheriff Tiraspol	Free transfer (Released)
4 July 2015	Jonathan Bond	Reading	Undisclosed (~ £250,000)
6 July 2015	Dániel Tőzsér	Queens Park Rangers	Long-term loan cancelled
16 July 2015	Lewis McGugan	Sheffield Wednesday	Undisclosed (~ £300,000)
11 August 2015	Cristian Battocchio	Stade Brestois 29	Undisclosed
29 August 2015	Fernando Forestieri	Sheffield Wednesday	Undisclosed (~ £3,000,000)
22 January 2016	Connor Smith	AFC Wimbledon	Free transfer
27 January 2016	Diego Fabbrini	Birmingham City	£1,500,000

Where a player has been released, the date given is when their release was announced by Watford, not when their contract expired or when they joined their next club.
Where a player has been released, the club they subsequently joined is listed, provided it is professional and occurred during the 2015-16 season.

Loans in

Date from	Player	Loaned from	Date until
14 August 2015	Nathan Aké	Chelsea	End of season
17 August 2015	Alessandro Diamanti	Guangzhou Evergrande	13 January 2016
1 September 2015	Víctor Ibarbo	Cagliari	End of season

Loans out

Date from	Player	Loaned to	Date until
13 July 2015	Uche Ikpeazu	Port Vale	2 January 2016
16 July 2015	Juanfran	Deportivo La Coruña	End of season
27 July 2015	Diego Fabbrini	Middlesbrough	27 January 2016
5 August 2015	Sean Murray	Wigan Athletic	16 January 2016
29 August 2015	Daniel Pudil	Sheffield Wednesday	End of season
1 September 2015	Gabriele Angella	Queens Park Rangers	End of season
1 September 2015	Miguel Layún	Porto	End of season
1 September 2015	Connor Smith	Stevenage	29 September 2015
1 September 2015	Matěj Vydra	Reading	End of season
21 January 2016	Uche Ikpeazu	Blackpool	End of season
28 January 2016	Giedrius Arlauskis	Espanyol	End of season
1 February 2016	Abdoulaye Doucouré	Granada	End of season
1 February 2016	Adalberto Peñaranda	Granada	End of season

On 1 September 2015, Murray's Wigan loan was extended until 16 January 2016.

Reserves and academy

Watford's academy in 2015–16 consists of 17 scholars:

In the second year: Jacob Cook, Andrew Eleftheriou, Michael Folivi, Nathan Gartside, Max Makaka, Brandon Mason, Ogo Obi, Charlie Rowan and Connor Stevens.
In the first year: Denílson Carvalho, Ashley Charles, Treon Johnson, Dion Pereira, Joshua Roe, Louis Rogers, Max Ryan, David Sesay and Andrew Thomas.

In September 2014 and February 2015 respectively, strikers Ogo Obi and Michael Folivi signed agreements for one-year professional contracts to start at the end of their scholarships.

[11] For players who came through the club's youth system the date used refers to when they signed a professional contract, unless they appeared in a first-team match-day squad prior to that, in which case that date is used.

[12] A dagger is only displayed if the player was exclusively a loan player during the 2015–16 season. If they signed permanently over the course of the season then it is not displayed.

[14] All players who have been signed to the club since the opening day of the 2015–16 season are listed. Scholars with professional contracts are not listed unless they appear in a first-team matchday squad.

[39] Where a player has been released, the date given is when their release was announced by Watford, not when their contract expired or when they joined their next club.

[40] Where a player has been released, the club they subsequently joined is listed, provided it is professional and occurred during the 2015-16 season.

[58] On 1 September 2015, Murray's Wigan loan was extended until 16 January 2016.