2016–17 Watford F.C. season

The 2016–17 season was Watford's 136th year in existence and second consecutive season in the Premier League.^[1] Watford also participated in the FA Cup and League Cup. The season covers the period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017.

Watford

2016–17 season
Owner	Gino Pozzo
Chairman	Raffaele Riva
Manager	Walter Mazzarri
Stadium	Vicarage Road
Premier League	17th
FA Cup	Fourth round (knocked out by Millwall)
EFL Cup	Second round (knocked out by Gillingham)
Top goalscorer	League: Troy Deeney (10) All: Troy Deeney (10)
Highest home attendance	21,118 v Manchester United (18 September 2016)
Average home league attendance	20,571
Home colours Away colours
← 2015–16 2017–18 →

Walter Mazzarri took over as manager following the departure of Quique Sánchez Flores.^[2]

Pre-season

In May 2016, Watford began to announce the pre-season friendlies.^[3][4]

Woking v Watford

10 July 2016 (2016-07-10) Friendly	Woking	1–1	Watford	Woking
17:00 BST	Carter 24'	Report	Berghuis 20'	Stadium: Laithwaite Community Stadium Attendance: 1,280 Referee: Dean Treleaven

Stevenage v Watford

14 July 2016 (2016-07-14) Friendly	Stevenage	0–2	Watford	Stevenage
19:45 BST		Report	Capoue 50' Sinclair 89'	Stadium: Broadhall Way Referee: Darren Deadman

Union Berlin v Watford

19 July 2016 (2016-07-19) Friendly	Union Berlin	1–3	Watford	Austria
15:00 BST	Thiel 70'	Report	Capoue 13' Deeney 44' (pen.) Berghuis 84'	Stadium: Stadion St. Andrä

Anzhi Makhachkala v Watford

23 July 2016 (2016-07-23) Friendly	Anzhi Makhachkala	0–0	Watford	Austria
15:00 CEST		Report		Stadium: Sportplatz Gralla

Queens Park Rangers v Watford

30 July 2016 (2016-07-30) Friendly	Queens Park Rangers	2–0	Watford	London
15:00 BST	Polter 20' Washington 82'	Report		Stadium: Loftus Road Referee: Tim Robinson

Watford v Lorient

6 August 2016 (2016-08-06) Friendly	Watford	2–2	Lorient	Watford
15:00 BST	Deeney 45' (pen.) Ighalo 58'	Report	Touré 61' Philippoteaux 69'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 3,450 Referee: Jonathan Moss

Overview

Competition	Record
	G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Premier League	38	11	7	20	40	68	−28	028.95
FA Cup	2	1	0	1	2	1	+1	050.00
EFL Cup	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Total	41	12	7	22	43	71	−28	029.27

Updated to match played 22 May 2017
Source: Competitions

Competitions

Premier League

Main article: 2016–17 Premier League

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
15	Swansea City	38	12	5	21	45	70	−25	41
16	Burnley	38	11	7	20	39	55	−16	40
17	Watford	38	11	7	20	40	68	−28	40
18	Hull City (R)	38	9	7	22	37	80	−43	34	Relegation to EFL Championship
19	Middlesbrough (R)	38	5	13	20	27	53	−26	28

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).^[5][6]
(R) Relegated

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	11	7	20	39	67	−28	40	8	4	7	25	28	−3	3	3	13	14	39	−25

Last updated: 21 May 2017.
Source: Premier League

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	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	A	H
Result	D	L	L	W	W	L	D	W	D	W	L	W	L	L	W	L	L	D	L	L	D	D	W	W	L	D	L	L	W	W	L	W	L	L	L	L	L	L
Position	5	13	18	10	9	11	11	10	9	7	8	8	8	10	7	11	12	10	13	14	14	14	13	10	12	12	13	14	12	9	10	10	10	13	15	16	16	17

Updated to match(es) played on 21 May 2017. Source: Statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Southampton v Watford

13 August 2016 (2016-08-13) 1	Southampton	1–1	Watford	Southampton
15:00 BST	Redmond 58' Van Dijk  90+4'	Report	Capoue 9' Guedioura  60' Watson  76' Gomes  87'	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 31,488 Referee: Roger East

Watford v Chelsea

20 August 2016 2	Watford	1–2	Chelsea	Watford
15:00 BST	Deeney  19' Capoue 55' Britos  69' Holebas  70' Behrami  90+4'	Report	Cahill  20' Costa  56', 87' Batshuayi 80' Hazard  90+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,772 Referee: Jon Moss

Watford v Arsenal

27 August 2016 3	Watford	1–3	Arsenal	Watford
15:00 BST	Prödl  17' Ighalo  45+2' Pereyra 57' Deeney  60' Amrabat  77' Behrami  83' Holebas  89'	Report	Cazorla 9' (pen.) Sánchez 40' Özil 45+1' Wilshere  90+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,545 Referee: Kevin Friend

West Ham United v Watford

10 September 2016 4	West Ham United	2–4	Watford	Stratford, London
15:00 BST	Antonio 5', 33' Zaza  12' Byram  85'	Report	Ighalo 41' Behrami  42' Deeney 45+2' Capoue 53' Holebas 63' Okaka  86'	Stadium: Olympic Stadium Attendance: 56,974 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Watford v Manchester United

18 September 2016 5	Watford	3–1	Manchester United	Watford
12:00 BST	Capoue 34' Britos  77' Holebas  77' Zúñiga 83' Deeney  86', 90+5' (pen.)	Report	Rashford 62' Pogba  75' Fellaini  88' Depay  88' Rooney  90+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 21,118 Referee: Michael Oliver

Burnley v Watford

26 September 2016 6	Burnley	2–0	Watford	Burnley
20:00 BST	Hendrick 38' Lowton  45+2' Keane 50'	Report	Pereyra  22' Holebas  37' Success  65'	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 18,519 Referee: Mike Jones

Watford v AFC Bournemouth

1 October 2016 7	Watford	2–2	AFC Bournemouth	Watford
15:00 BST	Prödl  12' Pereyra  28' Deeney 50' Behrami  56' Success 65'	Report	Wilshere  20' Wilson 31' Smith  41' Francis  45' King 62' Stanislas  89'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,575 Referee: Mike Dean

Middlesbrough v Watford

16 October 2016 8	Middlesbrough	0–1	Watford	Middlesbrough
13:30 BST	Barragán  21' Stuani  38' Ramírez  42' De Roon  74'	Report	Holebas 54' Amrabat  65'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 28,131 Referee: Roger East

Swansea City v Watford

22 October 2016 9	Swansea City	0–0	Watford	Swansea
15:00 BST	Sigurðsson  49' Britton  71'	Report	Capoue  45'	Stadium: Liberty Stadium Attendance: 20,694 Referee: Paul Tierney

Watford v Hull City

29 October 2016 10	Watford	1–0	Hull City	Watford
15:00 BST	Behrami  53' Dawson 82' (o.g.)	Report	Mason  57' Clucas  58'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,022 Referee: Jonathan Moss

Liverpool v Watford

6 November 2016 11	Liverpool	6–1	Watford	Liverpool
14:15 GMT	Mané 27', 60' Coutinho 30' Can 43' Firmino 57' Wijnaldum  88', 90+1'	Report	Holebas  56' Janmaat 75' Britos  80'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 53,163 Referee: Michael Oliver

Watford v Leicester City

19 November 2016 12	Watford	2–1	Leicester City	Watford
15:00 GMT	Capoue 1' Pereyra 12' Zúñiga  21' Britos  32'	Report	Mahrez 15' (pen.) Fuchs  53' Drinkwater  65' Gray  81'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Stadium Attendance: 20,640 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Watford v Stoke City

27 November 2016 13	Watford	0–1	Stoke City	Watford
12:00 GMT	Amrabat  24' Britos  26'  90' Holebas  40' Behrami  90+2'	Report	Gomes 29' (o.g.)	Stadium: Vicarage Road Stadium Attendance: 20,058 Referee: Robert Madley

West Bromwich Albion v Watford

3 December 2016 14	West Bromwich Albion	3–1	Watford	West Bromwich
15:00 GMT	McAuley  15' Evans 16' Brunt 34' McClean  84' Phillips 90+1'	Report	Kabasele 60' Pereyra  84' Deeney  85'	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 22,244 Referee: Graham Scott

Watford v Everton

10 December 2016 15	Watford	3–2	Everton	Watford
12:30 GMT	Guedioura  7' Okaka 36', 64' Prödl 59' Holebas  74'	Report	Deulofeu  14' Lukaku 17', 86' Baines  62'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,769 Referee: Anthony Taylor

Manchester City v Watford

14 December 2016 16	Manchester City	2–0	Watford	Manchester
20:00 GMT	Zabaleta 33'  75' Silva 86'	Report	Prödl  21' Capoue  73'	Stadium: Etihad Stadium Referee: Kevin Friend

Sunderland v Watford

17 December 2016 17	Sunderland	1–0	Watford	Sunderland
15:00 GMT	Januzaj  36' Van Aanholt 49'	Report	Behrami  45+1' Kaboul  75'	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 40,267 Referee: Robert Madley

Watford v Crystal Palace

26 December 2016 18	Watford	1–1	Crystal Palace	Watford
12:30 GMT	Holebas  53' Deeney 71' (pen.) Britos  90+1'	Report	Cabaye 26' C. Benteke 36',  45' Puncheon  45+2' Zaha  87'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,304 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Watford v Tottenham Hotspur

1 January 2017 19	Watford	1–4	Tottenham Hotspur	Watford
13:30 GMT	Holebas  44' Prödl  63' Cathcart  83' Kaboul 90+1'	Report	Kane 27', 33' Alli 41', 46'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Stadium Attendance: 20,882 Referee: Michael Oliver

Stoke City v Watford

3 January 2017 20	Stoke City	2–0	Watford	Stoke-on-Trent
20:00 GMT	Diouf  19' Shawcross 45+3' Crouch 49'	Report	Doucouré  76' Kabasele  90+1'	Stadium: bet365 Stadium Attendance: 27,010 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

Watford v Middlesbrough

14 January 2017 21	Watford	0–0	Middlesbrough	Watford
15:00 GMT	Okaka  78' Britos  90+1' Deeney  90+2'	Report	Fábio  90+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Stadium Attendance: 20,659 Referee: Jonathan Moss

AFC Bournemouth v Watford

21 January 2017 22	AFC Bournemouth	2–2	Watford	Bournemouth
15:00 GMT	King 48' Afobe 82' S. Cook  90+4'	Report	Kabasele 24' Deeney 64' Holebas  70' Kaboul  79'	Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 11,123 Referee: Lee Mason

Arsenal v Watford

31 January 2017 23	Arsenal	1–2	Watford	Holloway, London
19:45 GMT	Gabriel  21' Monreal  25' Iwobi 58' Sánchez  86'	Report	Kaboul 10' Deeney 13' Prödl  66' Okaka  88' Cleverley  90'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,035 Referee: Andre Marriner

Watford v Burnley

4 February 2017 24	Watford	2–1	Burnley	Watford
15:00 GMT	Niang  6', 45+2' Deeney 10' Holebas  20' Capoue  33' Prödl  77' Cathcart  90+4'	Report	Hendrick  6' Barnes 78' (pen.)	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,178 Referee: Michael Oliver

Manchester United v Watford

11 February 2017 25	Manchester United	2–0	Watford	Manchester
15:00 GMT	Mata 32' Martial 60' Valencia  90+2'	Report		Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,301 Referee: Robert Madley

Watford v West Ham United

25 February 2017 26	Watford	1–1	West Ham United	Watford
17:30 GMT	Deeney 3' (pen.) Janmaat  36' Cleverley  68' Doucouré  79' Holebas  83'	Report	Antonio  45+10'  86' Kouyaté  65' Ayew 73'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,702 Referee: Craig Pawson

Watford v Southampton

4 March 2017 27	Watford	3–4	Southampton	Watford
15:00 GMT	Deeney 4',  83' Okaka  44' 79' Prödl  73' Doucouré 90+4'	Report	Cédric  14' Tadić 28' Gabbiadini  33', 83' Redmond 45+2', 86'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,670 Referee: Jonathan Moss

Crystal Palace v Watford

18 March 2017 28	Crystal Palace	1–0	Watford	Selhurst, London
15:00 GMT	Deeney 68' (o.g.)	Report	Cleverley  38' Prödl  66'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 25,109 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Watford v Sunderland

1 April 2017 29	Watford	1–0	Sunderland	Watford
15:00 BST	Britos 59' Capoue  90+3'	Report	Jones  72' Khazri  77' Koné  78'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,805 Referee: Lee Probert

Watford v West Bromwich Albion

4 April 2017 30	Watford	2–0	West Bromwich Albion	Watford
19:45 BST	Niang 13',  70' Britos  40'  65' Deeney 49'	Report	Robson-Kanu  43' McClean  45+6' Livermore  59' Nyom  83'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,090 Referee: Paul Tierney

Tottenham Hotspur v Watford

8 April 2017 31	Tottenham Hotspur	4–0	Watford	Tottenham, London
12:30 BST	Alli 33' Dier 39' Son 44', 55'	Report	Doucouré  34'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 31,706 Referee: Anthony Taylor

Watford v Swansea City

15 April 2017 32	Watford	1–0	Swansea City	Watford
15:00 BST	Capoue 42'	Report		Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,272 Referee: Lee Mason

Hull City v Watford

22 April 2017 33	Hull City	2–0	Watford	Kingston upon Hull
15:00 BST	Niasse  25' N'Diaye  42' Marković 62'  66' Clucas 71' Robertson  81'	Report	Prödl  68'	Stadium: KCOM Stadium Attendance: 20,432 Referee: Bobby Madley

Watford v Liverpool

1 May 2017 34	Watford	0–1	Liverpool	Watford
20:00 BST	Prödl  48' Capoue  69' Success  90+5'	Report	Lucas  44' Can 45+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,959 Referee: Craig Pawson

Leicester City v Watford

6 May 2017 35	Leicester City	3–0	Watford	Leicester
15:00 BST	Ndidi 38' Mahrez 58' Albrighton 90+2'	Report		Stadium: King Power Stadium Referee: Roger East

Everton v Watford

12 May 2017 36	Everton	1–0	Watford	Liverpool
19:45 BST	Barkley 56'	Report	Behrami  39' Janmaat  39' Holebas  70'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 38,550 Referee: Kevin Friend

Chelsea v Watford

15 May 2017 37	Chelsea	4–3	Watford	Fulham, London
20:00 BST	Terry 22' Aké  30' Azpilicueta 36' Batshuayi 49' Chalobah  58' Fàbregas 88'	Report	Holebas  3' Amrabat  11' Capoue 24' Janmaat 51' Okaka 74',  90+4' Prödl  83'  90+1' Deeney  90+3'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,473 Referee: Lee Mason

Watford v Manchester City

21 May 2017 38	Watford	0–5	Manchester City	Watford
15:00 BST	Doucouré  45+1'	Report	Kompany 5' Agüero 23', 36' Fernandinho 41' Jesus 58'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,829 Referee: Jonathan Moss

FA Cup

Main article: 2016–17 FA Cup

Watford v Burton Albion

7 January 2017 Third round	Watford	2–0	Burton Albion	Watford
15:00 GMT	Kabasele 21' Sinclair 77'	Report	Naylor  45+2' Flanagan  62' Brayford  80'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Stadium Attendance: 13,270 Referee: Lee Mason

Millwall v Watford

29 January 2017 Fourth round	Millwall	1–0	Watford	Bermondsey, London
12:00 GMT	Morison 85' Wallace  90+6'	Report	Britos  90+6' Mason  81' Abdoulaye Doucouré  90+1'	Stadium: The Den Attendance: 9,772 Referee: Martin Atkinson

EFL Cup

Main article: 2016–17 EFL Cup

Watford v Gillingham

23 August 2016 Second round	Watford	1–2	Gillingham	Watford
19:45 BST	Ighalo 58'	Report	Byrne 82' Dack 102'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 7,004 Referee: James Linington

Staff

Squad information and statistics

Statistics correct as of 23 April 2017.^[7][a]

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[b] Age = Current age   Left club during 2016–17 † Loan player[c]

2015–16 Watford player details

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	33	0	0+1	0	0	0	33+1	0	1	0	44	2014	No	—
2	DF	Allan Nyom	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	37	2015	No	—
3	DF	Miguel Britos	26	1	2	0	0	0	28	1	7	2	40	2015	No	—
4	DF	Younès Kaboul	22	2	2	0	0	0	24	2	2	0	39	2016	No	—
5	DF	Sebastian Prödl	28+1	1	0+1	0	0	0	28+2	1	9	0	38	2015	No	—
6	DF	Adrian Mariappa	2+1	0	1	0	0	0	3+1	0	0	0	38	2016	Yes	—
7	MF	Nordin Amrabat	21+3	0	0	0	0	0	21+3	0	3	0	38	2016	No	—
8	MF	Tom Cleverley	12+1	0	0	0	0	0	12+1	0	3	0	36	2017	No	—
9	FW	Troy Deeney	29+3	10	1+1	0	1	0	31+4	10	6	0	37	2010	No	—
10	FW	Isaac Success	2+16	1	0	0	0	0	2+16	1	1	0	29	2016	Yes	—
11	MF	Valon Behrami	23+1	0	0	0	0	0	23+1	0	6	0	40	2015	No	—
12	MF	Kenedy	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	29	2016	No	—
13	GK	Rene Gilmartin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	38	2014	No	—
14	DF	Juan Carlos Paredes	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	38	2014	No	—
15	DF	Craig Cathcart	13+2	0	1	0	0	0	14+2	0	3	0	36	2014	No	—
16	MF	Abdoulaye Doucouré	9+6	1	2	0	1	0	12+6	1	4	0	32	2016	No	—
17	MF	Adlène Guedioura	9+3	0	1	0	1	0	11+3	0	2	0	39	2015	No	—
18	DF	Juan Camilo Zúñiga	6+13	1	0	0	0+1	0	6+14	1	1	0	39	2016	No	†
19	FW	Jerome Sinclair	1+4	0	2	1	0	0	3+4	1	0	0	28	2016	Yes	—
20	FW	Matěj Vydra	0+1	0	0	0	1	0	1+1	0	0	0	33	2015	No	—
20	FW	Mauro Zárate	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	38	2017	No	—
21	MF	Ikechi Anya	0+1	0	0	0	1	0	1+1	0	0	0	37	2012	No	—
21	FW	M'Baye Niang	11	2	0	0	0	0	11	2	2	0	30	2017	No	—
22	MF	Daryl Janmaat	13+9	2	0+1	0	0	0	13+10	2	1	0	36	2016	No	—
23	MF	Ben Watson	0+4	0	1	0	1	0	2+4	0	0	1	40	2015	No	—
24	FW	Odion Ighalo	14+4	1	1	0	0+1	1	15+5	2	1	0	36	2014	No	—
25	DF	José Holebas	30	2	0	0	0	0	30	2	12	0	41	2015	No	—
26	DF	Brice Dja Djédjé	0	0	1+1	0	0	0	1+1	0	0	0	34	2016	No	—
27	DF	Christian Kabasele	5+8	2	1	1	1	0	7+8	3	1	0	34	2016	Yes	—
29	MF	Étienne Capoue	32	7	1	0	0+1	0	33+1	7	4	0	37	2015	No	—
30	GK	Costel Pantilimon	0+2	0	2	0	1	0	3+2	0	0	0	38	2016	No	—
31	DF	Tommie Hoban	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	31	2011	Yes	—
32	DF	Brandon Mason	0+1	0	2	0	0	0	2+1	0	1	0	27	2016	Yes	—
33	FW	Stefano Okaka	7+7	4	1	0	0	0	8+7	4	4	0	36	2016	No	—
34	GK	Giedrius Arlauskis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37	2015	No	—
35	MF	Carl Stewart	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	28	2016	Yes	—
37	MF	Roberto Pereyra	12+1	2	0	0	0	0	12+1	2	2	1	34	2016	No	—
39	FW	Michael Folivi	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—
42	DF	Andrew Eleftheriou	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—
—	DF	Ola Adeyemo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	30	2016	No	—
—	GK	Charlie Bannister	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	2016	No	—
—	GK	Nathan Gartside	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—
—	FW	Alex Jakubiak	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	28	2014	Yes	—
—	FW	Ogo Obi	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—
—	MF	Rhyle Ovenden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—
—	DF	Charlie Rowan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—
—	DF	Connor Stevens	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2016	Yes	—

1. From the start of pre-season to the end of the summer transfer window all players currently contracted to the club are listed. From the close of the summer transfer window all players who have been signed to the club since the close of the summer transfer window are listed. The following exceptions are made: a) if a player has appeared in a matchday squad prior to the end of the 2016 summer transfer window they will remain listed for the duration of the season b) players loaned out prior to the start of the season will not be listed until their return, with season-long loans omitted entirely - for players out on loan see the transfers section. Scholars with professional contracts are not listed unless they appear in a first-team matchday squad.
2. For players who came through the club's youth system the date used refers to the year their professional contract begun, unless they appeared in a first-team match-day squad prior to that, in which case that date is used.
3. A dagger is only displayed if the player was exclusively a loan player during the 2016–17 season. If they signed permanently over the course of the season then it is not displayed.

Non-playing staff

• Head-coach: Walter Mazzarri
• Assistant coach: Nicolo Frustalupi
• Assistant coach: Claudio Nitti
• Assistant coach: Luca Vigiani
• Goalkeeping coach: Paolo De Toffol
• Goalkeeping coach: Alec Chamberlain
• Fitness coach: Giuseppe Pondrelli
• Technical director: Luke Dowling^[8]
• Chief scout: Filippo Giraldi
• Scout: Roberto Miggiano
• Analyst: Fabio Corradini
• Under-21 coach: Harry Kewell^[9]
• Under-21 assistant manager: Hayden Mullins^[10]
• Academy manager: Chris McGuane^[11]
• Lead professional development coach: David Horseman^[12]
• Academy head of coaching: Barry Quin^[11]
• 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 11 July 2016.^[13]

Transfers

In

Date	Player	From	Fee	Ref
1 July 2016	Christian Kabasele (BEL)	Genk (BEL)	£6,000,000	[14]
1 July 2016	Jerome Sinclair (ENG)	Liverpool (ENG)	£4,000,000	[15]
1 July 2016	Isaac Success (NGA)	Granada (ESP)	£12,500,000	[16]
21 July 2016	Brice Dja Djédjé (CIV)	Marseille (FRA)	£4,000,000	[17][18]
8 August 2016	Charlie Bannister (ENG)	Aston Villa (ENG)	Free	[19][20]
19 August 2016	Younès Kaboul (FRA)	Sunderland (ENG)	£4,000,000	[21][22]
19 August 2016	Roberto Pereyra (ARG)	Juventus (ITA)	£13,000,000	[23][24]
24 August 2016	Daryl Janmaat (NED)	Newcastle United (ENG)	£7,000,000	[25][26]
29 August 2016	Stefano Okaka (ITA)	Anderlecht (BEL)	Undisclosed	[27]
30 August 2016	Adrian Mariappa (JAM)	Crystal Palace (ENG)	Free transfer	[28]
25 January 2017	Mauro Zárate (ARG)	Fiorentina (ITA)	Undisclosed	[29]

Out

Date[a]	Player	Transferred to[b]	Fee	Ref
28 May 2016	Miguel Layún (MEX)	Porto (POR)	£6,000,000	[30]
3 June 2016	Joel Ekstrand (SWE)	Bristol City (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][32]
3 June 2016	George Byers (SCO)	Swansea City (WAL)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][33]
3 June 2016	Josh Doherty (NIR)	Leyton Orient (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][34]
3 June 2016	Uche Ikpeazu (ENG)	Cambridge United (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][35]
3 June 2016	Jorell Johnson (ENG)	Hemel Hempstead Town (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31]
3 June 2016	Mahlondo Martin (ENG)	Kings Langley (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31]
3 June 2016	Bernard Mensah (ENG)	Aldershot Town (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][36]
3 June 2016	Luke Simpson (ENG)	York City (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][37]
3 June 2016	Alfie Young (ENG)	Hendon (ENG)	Free transfer (Released)	[31][38]
1 July 2016	Gabriele Angella (ITA)	Udinese (ITA)	Undisclosed	[39]
4 July 2016	José Manuel Jurado (ESP)	Espanyol (ESP)	£1,500,000	[40][41]
12 July 2016	Juanfran (ESP)	Deportivo La Coruña (ESP)	Free transfer	[42]
28 July 2016	Almen Abdi (SUI)	Sheffield Wednesday (ENG)	£3,500,000	[43]
28 July 2016	Daniel Pudil (CZE)	Sheffield Wednesday (ENG)	£1,500,000	[43]
10 August 2016	Essaïd Belkalem (ALG)	Orléans (FRA)	Free transfer (Released)	[44][45]
27 August 2016	Matěj Vydra (CZE)	Derby County (ENG)	£12,500,000	[46]
31 August 2016	Ikechi Anya (SCO)	Derby County (ENG)	£4,000,000	[47][48]
31 August 2016	Sean Murray (IRL)	Swindon Town (ENG)	Free transfer	[49]
31 August 2016	Allan Nyom (CMR)	West Bromwich Albion (ENG)	£4,000,000	[50][51]
31 January 2017	Adlène Guedioura (ALG)	Middlesbrough (ENG)	£3,500,000	[52]
31 January 2017	Odion Ighalo (NGA)	Changchun Yatai (CHN)	£20,000,000	[53]

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. The group of players released on 3 June 2016 had contracts that expired on 30 June 2016.
2. Where a player has been released, the club they subsequently joined is listed, provided it occurred during the 2016-17 season.

Loans in

Date from	Player	Loaned from	Date until	Ref
16 July 2016	Juan Camilo Zúñiga (COL)	Napoli (ITA)	End of Season	[54]
30 August 2016	Kenedy (BRA)	Chelsea (ENG)	13 December 2016	[55][56]
31 August 2016	Haviv Ohayon (ISR)	Maccabi Tel Aviv (ISR)	End of Season	[57]
12 January 2017	Tom Cleverley (ENG)	Everton (ENG)	End of Season	[58]
26 January 2017	M'Baye Niang (FRA)	AC Milan (ITA)	End of Season	[59]

Loans out

Mathias Ranegie started the season on loan at Djurgårdens IF for the duration of the 2016 Allsvenskan season, having joined in February 2016.^[60]

Date from	Player	Loaned to	Date until	Ref
11 July 2016	Adalberto Peñaranda (VEN)	Udinese (ITA)	5 January 2017 [a]	[62]
27 July 2016	Obbi Oularé (BEL)	Zulte Waregem (BEL)	End of season	[63]
27 July 2016	Dennon Lewis (ENG)	Woking (ENG)	End of season	[64]
1 August 2016	Steven Berghuis (NED)	Feyenoord (NED)	End of season	[65]
16 August 2016	Mario Suárez (ESP)	Valencia (ESP)	End of season	[66]
26 August 2016	Tommie Hoban (IRL)	Blackburn Rovers (ENG)	End of season	[67]
31 August 2016	Alex Jakubiak (SCO)	Fleetwood Town (ENG)	End of season	[68]
5 January 2017	Adalberto Peñaranda (VEN)	Málaga (ESP)	End of season	[61]
26 January 2017	Obbi Oularé (BEL)	Willem II (NED)	End of season	[69]
30 January 2017	Alex Jakubiak (SCO)	Wycombe Wanderers (ENG)	End of season	[70]
31 January 2017	Michael Folivi (ENG)	Coventry City (ENG)	End of season	[71]
31 January 2017	Juan Carlos Paredes (ECU)	Olympiacos (GRE)	End of season	[72]
31 January 2017	Jerome Sinclair (ENG)	Birmingham City (ENG)	End of season	[73]

1. On 5 January 2017, Adalberto Peñaranda was recalled from his loan at Udinese to join Malaga on loan.^[61]