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Troy Deeney – Premier League bound, with or without Watford

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]roy Deeney has been around for what seems many years, yet the Watford striker is still only 26. He has tilted at great success and always seemed to fall short, but many feel he is on the verge of realising the potential he has always possessed. Birmingham born and once a member of the Aston Villa youth team, Troy signed for nearby Walsall while working as a builder.

It was while he was at the Saddlers that one of those episodes occurred that can define or destroy a career.
Walsall manager Jimmy Mullen was playing Troy as a right winger, not surprisingly considering his strength and pace. However, when Mullen was replaced by Chris Hutchings, he switched Troy to centre forward and Troy responded with nine goals in Hutchings’ first 12 games, and finishing the campaign with 14 goals and Walsall’s Player of the Year Award.

Troy joined Watford in 2010-11 but it wasn’t until the following campaign that he hit the headlines, on and off the pitch. On it he scored 11 goals and won Goal of the Season for his effort against Ipswich in March 2012. Off it, that summer he was sentenced to 10 months in jail for affray but was released after serving three.

After his release, Troy gave a television interview in which he showed genuine remorse and a wish to behave better. It worked and when he concentrated his energy into his game the result was a tally of 20 goals, becoming the first Watford player since Luther Blissett in 1983 to reach that mark. His reward was a new contract that tied him to Vicarage Road until 2016.

Troy Deeney is a powerful striker with strength and pace packed into his 1.83 meter frame. One of his major assets is powerful running with the ball and a ferocious shot. Troy’s goals have helped propel Watford into a very healthy position in the Championship promotion race. What makes impressive reading, for Watford fans anyway, is the fact that the team is the top scorer in the division with 70 league goals. The worrying stat for them is the concession of 42 goals.

Those goal scoring exploits, 70 in four and half years at Watford, have attracted Premier League interest, from West Brom and Swansea. His overall career record is almost exactly between one in three, and the top echelon of one in two.

If Troy Deeney continues to improve as he has done over the past three years, then he is sure to end up in the Premier League, with or without Watford.

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