logo
Watford goalkeeper Dan Bachmann told he can leave on free transfer despite having THREE YEARS left on contract

Watford goalkeeper Dan Bachmann told he can leave on free transfer despite having THREE YEARS left on contract

The Sun01-07-2025
WATFORD keeper Dan Bachmann is set to leave the club on a free transfer despite having three years left on his contract.
The Championship club are looking to reduce costs ahead of the start of the season.
2
Bachmann, 30, has been at Vicarage Road for eight years but has been told that he can find a new club due to the size of his wages.
And Watford are even happy to avoid demanding a transfer fee to get him off their books as soon as possible.
The Austrian international, who has played 138 times for the Hornets, has attracted interest from Wrexham and Salzburg.
Uruguayan boss Paulo Pezzolano has only just taken over at Watford from Tom Cleverley, who was sacked after last season.
And star midfielder Imran Louza has rocked the club by saying he wants to leave immediately.
Louza joined from Nantes in 2021 for £9million but is now worth about £12m.
He signed a new contract in 2023 with his deal running to 2028.
Louza was named Watford's Player of the Year last season.
But the Hornets remain in full support of new boss Pezzolano.
Following his arrival last month, sporting director Gian Luca Nani said: "Paulo has a hugely impressive track record working with young players, which is essential when you look at the age profile of our squad.
Dan Bachmann shows his goalkeeping talent at Watford training
2
"He has had success at virtually every club, including league titles and promotions, but it is his work on the training ground that impressed the most when we undertook our research.
"He has innovative ideas and processes which he transmits passionately to the players.
"We believe Paulo is the leader we need as we refocus ahead of the new season.
"He is fully aware of our ambitions and determination to push for promotion and embraces that challenge."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury
Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury

Leader Live

time23 minutes ago

  • Leader Live

Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury

Arsenal defender Williamson sustained the problem in England's triumph over Spain in last month's European Championship final. It is understood the 28-year-old reported back to Arsenal with swelling in her right knee and subsequently missed the club's pre-season tour of Germany. Tests indicated she required a procedure to clean up the issue which took place last week. The procedure was a success, and Williamson has already begun her rehabilitation. However, it is expected that she will be out for several weeks. Arsenal, last season's Champions League winners, open their WSL campaign against London City Lionesses on September 6. Williamson returned from a nine-month lay-off in January last year after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. Her latest problem is not believed to be directly linked. Williamson skippered England to back-to-back Euro triumphs after club team-mate Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout triumph over Spain on July 27.

Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury
Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury

South Wales Guardian

time23 minutes ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury

Arsenal defender Williamson sustained the problem in England's triumph over Spain in last month's European Championship final. It is understood the 28-year-old reported back to Arsenal with swelling in her right knee and subsequently missed the club's pre-season tour of Germany. Tests indicated she required a procedure to clean up the issue which took place last week. The procedure was a success, and Williamson has already begun her rehabilitation. However, it is expected that she will be out for several weeks. Arsenal, last season's Champions League winners, open their WSL campaign against London City Lionesses on September 6. Williamson returned from a nine-month lay-off in January last year after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. Her latest problem is not believed to be directly linked. Williamson skippered England to back-to-back Euro triumphs after club team-mate Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout triumph over Spain on July 27.

How Eberechi Eze will fit into Arsenal's new-look team
How Eberechi Eze will fit into Arsenal's new-look team

The Independent

time23 minutes ago

  • The Independent

How Eberechi Eze will fit into Arsenal's new-look team

Eberechi Eze and Arsenal, a marriage made in N7. He is exactly the player they need, a dribbler with creative spark who can break down the most stubborn defences; they are the club he most desires, able to fulfil his ambition to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League, and the only one club who can soothe the scars of his youth. 'I was 13 [when Arsenal released me],' Eze told The Independent in 2020, then a young breakout star at QPR. 'I remember crying in my room for a solid week, my mum telling me that it's going to be OK but not being able to get over it. Then I went to Fulham and I was finally starting to enjoy my football again. We played Arsenal a few months later but, when I went over to shake the academy manager's hand, I started welling up. All the feelings came back.' Eze came close to signing for Tottenham this week but if he was ever to leave Selhurst Park, Arsenal always felt like the rightful home for his peak years. Yet there remains a question about his place under Mikel Arteta and exactly where he fits in to the team. Tottenham would have built the side around Eze's creativity in the No 10 role, but he will have to carve out his own space in an Arsenal squad brimming with talent. Arteta was clear about Arsenal's shortcomings last term, bemoaning a lack of 'purpose and direction' in the final third against Manchester United in March and suggesting his players needed to deliver more 'magic moments'. Eze is certainly that type of player, someone who can unlock the sort of doors Arsenal were regularly banging their heads against. Arsenal's expected goals tally of 60 ranked seventh in the Premier League last term, well behind their title rivals (and below Palace), and there was an acknowledgement within the club that their attacking output urgently needed addressing this summer. After the signings of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and now Eze, Arteta has a raft of different combinations to deploy in midfield and attack. His attacking weapons include the pace of Gabriel Martinelli running behind a high line, the direct dribbling of Bukayo Saka against a deep defence and the intelligent movement of Gyokeres in the final third. Martin Odegaard can thread a pass, Declan Rice will crash the box, and the beauty of Eze is that he can do a little bit of everything on the ball. Arteta is likely to use Eze off the left wing, where he has played both for Palace and England. Left-back Riccardo Calafiori looks to be very attacking this season on a mission to make overlapping runs down the wing, and that will allow Eze room to drift inside and influence the game. Martinelli's patchy form over the past 12 months could see him replaced by Eze on that side. But Eze, who was one of two No 10s for Palace in Oliver Glasner's 3-4-2-1 last season, is also likely to be deployed in an attacking midfield role as a No 8, either replacing Odegaard as the most advanced midfielder when the captain is in need of a rest, or playing together with Odegaard and a holding player in either Rice or Martin Zubimendi. The latter shape – with Eze and Odegaard as dual No 8s – will be a fearsome attacking setup against low-block defences at the Emirates, and especially when chasing a game and in need of a late goal. In this era of five substitutions, football is increasingly a game of two uneven halves: the first hour when the starting XIs stay largely intact, and the final 30+ minutes when half of the outfield personnel are replaced. Eze offers the chance to recalibrate midfield late in the game and perhaps win some of those 14 games Arsenal drew last season. Over the past two seasons, Arteta has deployed Rice as a box-crashing midfielder on the left side of central midfield, so there will be a conundrum to solve. If Eze drifts inside from the right wing, does he step on Rice's toes? And if he starts inside as a No 8, does Rice then have to vacate his best role? Wherever Eze plays, Arteta will want to get him on the ball in that left half-space where he is most effective. Perhaps the most pertinent question is not where he fits in but whether Eze becomes an integral part of the starting XI, someone who demands to be picked whatever the opponent, or whether he finds himself used as an impact player and a rotation option who can ease Odegaard's workload. The suggestion this week that Havertz's knee injury was the reason Arsenal pushed so decisively to seal the Eze deal might hint that he is seen as someone who bolsters their attacking options rather than a crucial cog to build around. But if he can make a habit of breaking open the type of well-drilled defences who keep Arsenal at bay, 13 years after the club cut him adrift, Eze will become essential.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store