2015–16 Watford F.C. season

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.^[1] 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.

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
← 2014–15 2016–17 →

Pre-season friendlies

On 14 May 2015, Watford announced they would travel to Wimbledon on 11 July in a pre-season friendly.^[2] On 10 June, a trip to Germany was confirmed.^[3] On 18 June, the Hornets announced 2015 UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla would visit on 1 August.^[4] A day later, a fifth pre-season friendly was confirmed against Cardiff City.^[5] On 1 July, Watford announced they will kick pre-season off with a trip to St Albans City.^[6] On 10 July, the Hornets confirmed they would travel to Scotland to face Dundee United on 25 July.^[7]

St Albans City v Watford

8 July 2015 (2015-07-08) 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

Wimbledon v Watford

11 July 2015 (2015-07-11) 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

SC Verl v Watford

15 July 2015 (2015-07-15) 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

Eintracht Braunschweig v Watford

17 July 2015 (2015-07-17) Friendly	Eintracht Braunschweig	P–P	Watford	Braunschweig, Germany
19:30 CEST				Stadium: Eintracht-Stadion

SC Paderborn v Watford

19 July 2015 (2015-07-19) Friendly	SC Paderborn	0–2	Watford	Paderborn, Germany
14:00 CEST		Report	Vydra Ighalo	Stadium: Benteler Arena

Dundee United v Watford

25 July 2015 (2015-07-25) Friendly	Dundee United	0–1	Watford	Dundee, Scotland
15:00 BST		Report	Deeney 53'	Stadium: Tannadice Park

Cardiff City v Watford

28 July 2015 (2015-07-28) Friendly	Cardiff City	2–1	Watford	Cardiff, Wales
19:45 BST	Mason 19', 80'	Report	Deeney 30'	Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium

Watford v Sevilla

31 July 2015 (2015-07-31) 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
	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

Main article: 2015–16 Premier League

League table

Pos	Team v t e	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).^[8]

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: ^{[citation needed]}

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.^[9]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

Everton v Watford

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

Watford v West Bromwich Albion

15 August 2015 (2015-08-15) 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

Watford v Southampton

23 August 2015 (2015-08-23) 3	Watford	0–0	Southampton	Watford
16:00 BST		Report	Wanyama  28' Romeu  57'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,166 Referee: Andre Marriner

Manchester City v Watford

29 August 2015 (2015-08-29) 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

Watford v Swansea City

12 September 2015 (2015-09-12) 5	Watford	1–0	Swansea City	Watford
15:00 BST	Ighalo 59' Behrami  64'	Report		Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,057 Referee: Robert Madley

Newcastle United v Watford

19 September 2015 (2015-09-19) 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

Watford v Crystal Palace

27 September 2015 (2015-09-27) 7	Watford	0–1	Crystal Palace	Watford
16:00 BST		Report	Cabaye 71' (pen.)	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,168 Referee: Anthony Taylor

AFC Bournemouth v Watford

3 October 2015 (2015-10-03) 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

Watford v Arsenal

17 October 2015 (2015-10-17) 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

Stoke City v Watford

24 October 2015 (2015-10-24) 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

Watford v West Ham United

31 October 2015 (2015-10-31) 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

Leicester City v Watford

7 November 2015 (2015-11-07) 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

Watford v Manchester United

21 November 2015 (2015-11-21) 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

Aston Villa v Watford

28 November 2015 (2015-11-28) 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

Watford v Norwich City

5 December 2015 (2015-12-05) 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

Sunderland v Watford

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

Watford v Liverpool

20 December 2015 (2015-12-20) 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

Chelsea v Watford

26 December 2015 (2015-12-26) 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

Watford v Tottenham Hotspur

28 December 2015 (2015-12-28) 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

Watford v Manchester City

2 January 2016 (2016-01-02) 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

Southampton v Watford

13 January 2016 (2016-01-13) 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

Swansea City v Watford

18 January 2016 (2016-01-18) 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

Watford v Newcastle United

23 January 2016 (2016-01-23) 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

Watford v Chelsea

3 February 2016 (2016-02-03) 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

Tottenham Hotspur v Watford

6 February 2016 (2016-02-06) 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

Crystal Palace v Watford

13 February 2016 (2016-02-13) 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

Watford v AFC Bournemouth

27 February 2016 (2016-02-27) 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

Manchester United v Watford

2 March 2016 (2016-03-02) 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

Watford v Leicester City

5 March 2016 (2016-03-05) 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

Watford v Stoke City

19 March 2016 (2016-03-19) 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

Arsenal v Watford

2 April 2016 (2016-04-02) 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

Watford v Everton

9 April 2016 (2016-04-09) 32	Watford	1–1	Everton	Watford
15:00 BST	Capoue  13' Coleman 45+2' (o.g.) Ighalo  90+3'	Report	McCarthy  43', 45+1'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,663 Referee: Kevin Friend

West Bromwich Albion v Watford

16 April 2016 (2016-04-16) 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

West Ham United v Watford

20 April 2016 (2016-04-20) 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

Watford v Aston Villa

30 April 2016 (2016-04-30) 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

Liverpool v Watford

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

Norwich City v Watford

11 May 2016 (2016-05-11) 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

Watford v Sunderland

15 May 2016 (2016-05-15) 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

Main article: 2015–16 FA Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

Watford v Newcastle United

9 January 2016 (2016-01-09) 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

Nottingham Forest v Watford

30 January 2016 (2016-01-30) 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

Watford v Leeds United

20 February 2016 (2016-02-20) 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

Arsenal v Watford

13 March 2016 (2016-03-13) 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

Crystal Palace v Watford

24 April 2016 (2016-04-24) 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

Main article: 2015–16 Football League Cup

Watford entered the competition in the second round and were drawn away to Preston North End.^[10]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Upcoming fixture

Preston North End v Watford

25 August 2015 (2015-08-25) 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[a] Age = Current age † Loan player[b]

Statistics correct as of 2 April 2016.^[11]

2015–16 Watford player details^[c]

No.	Pos	Name	P	G	P	G	P	G	P	G			Age	Joined club	Yth	Notes
			Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Discipline
1	GK	Heurelho Gomes	38	0	1	0	0	0	39	0	0	0	44	2014	No	—
2	DF	Allan Nyom	29+3	0	4	0	0	0	33+3	0	8	0	37	2015	No	—
3	DF	Miguel Britos	24	0	2	0	1	0	27	0	6	1	40	2015	No	—
4	MF	Mario Suárez	8+7	0	1+1	0	0	0	9+8	0	1	0	38	2016	No	—
5	DF	Sebastian Prödl	19+2	2	3	0	0	0	22+2	2	4	0	38	2015	No	—
6	DF	Joel Ekstrand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	2012	No	—
7	MF	José Manuel Jurado	27	0	2+1	0	0	0	29+1	0	3	0	39	2015	No	—
8	MF	Valon Behrami	14+7	0	1	0	0	0	15+7	0	3	1	40	2015	No	—
9	FW	Troy Deeney	36+2	13	5	2	0	0	41+2	17	5	0	37	2010	No	—
10	FW	Obbi Oularé	0+2	0	1	0	0	0	1+2	0	0	0	29	2015	No	—
11	MF	Nordin Amrabat	4+8	0	2+1	0	0	0	6+9	0	2	0	38	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	38	2014	No	—
15	DF	Craig Cathcart	34+1	1	5	0	0	0	39+1	1	4	0	36	2014	No	—
16	DF	Nathan Aké	20+4	1	3	0	1	0	24+4	1	2	1	30	2015	No	†
17	MF	Adlène Guedioura	3+15	0	3+2	1	0	0	6+17	1	2	0	39	2015	No	—
18	GK	Costel Pantilimon	0	0	4	0	0	0	4	0	1	0	38	2016	No	—
19	FW	Víctor Ibarbo	0+4	0	0	0	0	0	0+4	0	0	0	35	2015	No	† Loan terminate
20	MF	Steven Berghuis	0+9	0	1	0	0+1	0	1+10	0	0	0	33	2015	No	—
21	MF	Ikechi Anya	17+11	0	1+4	0	0	0	18+15	0	0	0	37	2012	No	—
22	MF	Almen Abdi	25+7	2	3+2	0	1	0	29+9	2	2	0	38	2012	No	—
23	MF	Ben Watson	31+4	2	5	0	1	0	37+4	2	3	0	40	2015	No	—
24	FW	Odion Ighalo	36+1	15	2+3	2	0	0	38+4	17	3	0	36	2014	No	—
25	DF	José Holebas	11	0	2	0	0	0	13	0	2	0	41	2015	No	—
26	FW	Bernard Mensah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2011	Yes	—
27	DF	Essaïd Belkalem	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	2013	No	—
28	MF	Connor Smith	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	32	2011	Yes	—
29	MF	Étienne Capoue	33	0	3	0	0	0	36	0	6	0	37	2015	No	—
30	DF	Jorell Johnson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	2014	Yes	—
31	DF	Tommie Hoban	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	31	2011	Yes	—
32	MF	Alessandro Diamanti	0+3	0	0	0	0	0	0+3	0	0	0	42	2015	No	† Loan terminate
33	MF	Lloyd Dyer	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	42	2014	No	Contract terminate
34	GK	Giedrius Arlauskis	0+1	0	0	0	1	0	1+1	0	0	0	37	2015	No	Out on loan
35	DF	Josh Doherty	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	29	2014	Yes	—
36	FW	Alex Jakubiak	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	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	29	2014	Yes	—
—	DF	Gabriele Angella	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	36	2013	No	Out on loan
—	DF	Daniel Pudil	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	39	2012	No	Out on loan
—	DF	Juanfran	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	36	2015	No	Out on loan
—	MF	Abdoulaye Doucouré	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	2016	No	Out on loan
—	MF	Miguel Layún	2+1	1	0	0	1	0	3+1	1	0	0	37	2015	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Adalberto Peñaranda	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	2016	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Diego Fabbrini	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	35	2013	No	Sold
—	FW	Fernando Forestieri	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	35	2012	No	Sold
—	FW	Matěj Vydra	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	33	2015	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Uche Ikpeazu	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2013	No	Out on loan
—	FW	Mathias Ranégie	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	41	2014	No	Out on loan

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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^[12]
• Chief scout: Filippo Giraldi
• Under-21 coach: Harry Kewell^[13]
• Academy manager: Chris McGuane^[14]
• Lead professional development coach: David Horseman^[15]
• Academy head of coaching: Barry Quin^[14]
• Head of medical: Richard Collinge^[16]
• 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.^[17]

Transfers

In

Date	Player	From	Fee	Ref
30 June 2015	Juanfran (ESP)	Real Betis (ESP)	£1,500,000	[18]
1 July 2015	Giedrius Arlauskis (LTU)	Steaua București (ROM)	Free	[19]
1 July 2015	Sebastian Prödl (AUT)	Werder Bremen (GER)	Free	[20]
1 July 2015	Matěj Vydra (CZE)	Udinese (ITA)	Undisclosed	[21]
2 July 2015	José Holebas (GRE)	Roma (ITA)	£1,800,000	[22]
6 July 2015	Étienne Capoue (FRA)	Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)	Undisclosed (~ £5,700,000)	[23][24]
11 July 2015	Valon Behrami (SUI)	Hamburger SV (GER)	Undisclosed (~ £3,000,000)	[25]
14 July 2015	Allan Nyom (CMR)	Udinese (ITA)	Undisclosed	[26]
22 July 2015	Miguel Britos (URU)	Napoli (ITA)	Free	[27]
22 July 2015	José Manuel Jurado (ESP)	Spartak Moscow (RUS)	Undisclosed	[28]
23 July 2015	Steven Berghuis (NED)	AZ (NED)	£4,600,000	[29]
1 September 2015	Adlène Guedioura (ALG)	Crystal Palace (ENG)	Undisclosed	[30]
1 September 2015	Obbi Oularé (BEL)	Club Brugge (BEL)	Undisclosed	[31]
18 January 2016	Nordin Amrabat (MAR)	Málaga (ESP)	Undisclosed	[32]
19 January 2016	Costel Pantilimon (ROM)	Sunderland (ENG)	Undisclosed	[33]
30 January 2016	Mario Suárez (ESP)	Fiorentina (ITA)	Undisclosed (~ £4,000,000)	[34]
1 February 2016	Abdoulaye Doucouré (FRA)	Rennes (FRA)	Undisclosed	[35]
1 February 2016	Adalberto Peñaranda (VEN)	Udinese (ITA)	Undisclosed	[35]

Out

Date[a]	Player	Transferred to[b]	Fee	Ref
19 May 2015	Marco Motta (ITA)	n/a	Free (Released)	[36]
19 May 2015	Luke O'Nien (ENG)	Wycombe Wanderers (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[36]
19 May 2015	Vujadin Savić (SER)	Sheriff Tiraspol (MDA)	Free transfer (Released)	[36]
4 July 2015	Jonathan Bond (ENG)	Reading (ENG)	Undisclosed (~ £250,000)	[37][38]
6 July 2015	Dániel Tőzsér (HUN)	Queens Park Rangers (ENG)	Long-term loan cancelled	[39]
16 July 2015	Lewis McGugan (ENG)	Sheffield Wednesday (ENG)	Undisclosed (~ £300,000)	[40]
11 August 2015	Cristian Battocchio (ITA)	Stade Brestois 29 (FRA)	Undisclosed	[41]
29 August 2015	Fernando Forestieri (ITA)	Sheffield Wednesday (ENG)	Undisclosed (~ £3,000,000)	[42][43]
22 January 2016	Connor Smith (IRL)	AFC Wimbledon (ENG)	Free transfer	[44]
27 January 2016	Diego Fabbrini (ITA)	Birmingham City (ENG)	£1,500,000	[45]

1. 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.
2. 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	Ref
14 August 2015	Nathan Aké (NED)	Chelsea (ENG)	End of season	[46]
17 August 2015	Alessandro Diamanti (ITA)	Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN)	13 January 2016	[47]
1 September 2015	Víctor Ibarbo (COL)	Cagliari (ITA)	End of season	[48]

Loans out

Date from	Player	Loaned to	Date until	Ref
13 July 2015	Uche Ikpeazu (ENG)	Port Vale (ENG)	2 January 2016	[49]
16 July 2015	Juanfran (ESP)	Deportivo La Coruña (ESP)	End of season	[50]
27 July 2015	Diego Fabbrini (ITA)	Middlesbrough (ENG)	27 January 2016	[51]
5 August 2015	Sean Murray (IRL)	Wigan Athletic (ENG)	16 January 2016[a]	[53]
29 August 2015	Daniel Pudil (CZE)	Sheffield Wednesday (ENG)	End of season	[54]
1 September 2015	Gabriele Angella (ITA)	Queens Park Rangers (ENG)	End of season	[55]
1 September 2015	Miguel Layún (MEX)	Porto (POR)	End of season	[56]
1 September 2015	Connor Smith (IRL)	Stevenage (ENG)	29 September 2015	[57]
1 September 2015	Matěj Vydra (CZE)	Reading (ENG)	End of season	[58]
21 January 2016	Uche Ikpeazu (ENG)	Blackpool (ENG)	End of season	[59]
28 January 2016	Giedrius Arlauskis (LTU)	Espanyol (ESP)	End of season	[60]
1 February 2016	Abdoulaye Doucouré (FRA)	Granada (ESP)	End of season	[35]
1 February 2016	Adalberto Peñaranda (VEN)	Granada (ESP)	End of season	[35]

1. On 1 September 2015, Murray's Wigan loan was extended until 16 January 2016.^[52]

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.^[61]
• 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.^[62][63]