Watford have a few first-team players listed as out of contract by online sources and The Watford Observer looks at next steps for each, with an official announcement not obligated prior to Saturday, June 13.
Edo Kayembe was among the players whose deal looked set to run out this summer, having penned a four-and-a-half year contract when he first joined the club in January 2022.
But releasing a 27-year-old with experience – and, potentially, transfer value – was never likely to be the club’s preferred route.
It is understood the midfielder has signed a 12-month extension that takes him through to the summer of 2027, so is set to return to London Colney after this summer’s World Cup.
Watford midfielders Edo Kayembe and Papy Mendy (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
The retention of Kayembe is also notable due to the change that will take place elsewhere this summer in midfield.
Papy Mendy signed a one-year contract with the option of another in August and made more of a positive impression after returning to the team under Charlie Daniels and then Ed Still after January.
His performances dipped towards the end of the season, though, and it is understood to be likely that the additional 12 months on his deal won’t be activated and that he will leave.
The same is true of Tom Ince, who – by his own admission – has endured a largely frustrating three years at Vicarage Road.
Ince has scored two hat-tricks in WD18, against MK Dons in August 2024 and Birmingham City on 1 January of this year, but dropped out of the side again under Still having featured prominently in Javi Gracia’s team.
He will depart having made 93 appearances for the club in total.
Watford midfielder Tom Ince (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
Another midfielder heading for the exit is Tom Dele-Bashiru.
The 26-year-old has spent this season on loan at Genclerbirligi in Turkey, where he has played 29 matches and has one more crucial one to come, his side two points above the relegation zone ahead of the final weekend.
A return to Vicarage Road is not probable, though, with his seven-year Watford career – spanning 81 appearances and featuring occasional glimpses of real potential – poised to come to an end when his deal expires in the coming weeks.
Jonathan Lawson, who made his first-team debut at Stoke City in March, is also likely to leave, with his contract up.
And another academy striker, Tobi Adeyemo, who memorably scored as a 17-year-old on his league debut against Blackpool in January 2023, will follow.
The Hornets also have six loan deals officially coming to an end.
Stephen Mfuni was sensational across eight appearances in February and March before suffering a season-ending ankle injury that abruptly ended his time in WD18.
The club would love to bring him back from Manchester City next season, though there are a fair few hurdles to clear before that becomes a reality.
Luca Kjerrumgaard controls (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
All of Saba Goglichidze, James Abankwah and Luca Kjerrumgaard are contracted to Udinese, the latter technically obliged to sign for Watford as part of the deal that saw him leave OB in Denmark last summer.
The relationship with Udinese allows for wiggle room, though, and his future – with the two defenders – is still being discussed as the squad takes shape. As it stands, all three are due back in Italy for pre-season this summer.
Formose Mendy‘s loan from Lorient features an option to sign permanently that the Hornets won’t activate.
The signing of Mendy just hasn’t worked out, a combination of ongoing family issues, problems with the language, and, ultimately, underperformance letting him down.
He arrived with Ligue 1 experience last summer but his fate was sealed after a “rough” 45 minutes against Leicester City in March that provoked as much sympathy as frustration for a player who failed to live up to his billing.
Pierre Ekwah on the ball (Image: Alan Cozzi/Watford FC)
The chances of Pierre Ekwah‘s loan from Saint-Etienne being made permanent are understood to be slim, after the midfielder didn’t kick on following a relatively encouraging introduction to first-team life in March.
He was described as a “class act” by Still when he first arrived, and proved why in glimpses, but it is considered unlikely he will be back.
