Watford FC’s 2019/20 season was full of hope following a successful summer transfer window, but it ended in disaster when they were relegated to the Championship for the first time since 2015.
The Hornets signed Craig Dawson and Danny Welbeck to provide Premier League experience to the squad, while Tom Dele-Bashiru added new energy and youth.
However, the purchase of Ismaila Sarr from French club Stade Rennais for a club record £30 million was the most thrilling, with a lot of pressure on the then-21-year-old to assist the team survive relegation.
Despite the winger’s arrival, positive results were hard to come by, and Watford was relegated to the second tier, albeit with one of the division’s strongest teams in the past decade.
Ismaila Sarr lived up to his price-tag at times
Sarr under a lot of expectation to produce right away, and the first few months of the season were challenging for both his squad and himself.
The Hornets had lost six of their first 11 Premier League games, drawing the other five, and the winger had not scored or assisted during that period.
He finally got on the scoresheet against Southampton, netting the opening goal before the home team rallied to win 2-1. However, things were beginning to improve for the Senegalese star.
Two more goals and his first two assists came before Watford met Liverpool at Vicarage Road, with the visitors still unbeaten in the league at the time. The Hertfordshire club was not given much of a chance in the February 2020 clash, but Sarr demonstrated why he was purchased for such a high fee.
He scored twice and assisted once as the Hornets defeated the league leaders 3-0 in a memorable triumph, with the teenage forward stealing the show.
However, his team unable to recover from a poor start, and their results dropped once again, resulting in their relegation. Nonetheless, Sarr impressed in his first season in the Championship, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists as his team made an immediate return to the top flight.
Sarr was sold for less than supporters may have hoped for
Despite being promoted back to the Premier League, the exam proved incredibly difficult once more. All five of his goals came in his first 12 appearances, but injuries, the Africa Cup of Nations, and inconsistent performances made it difficult for him to add to his total.
Watford had lost eight of their last nine games, drew only once against Everton, and were relegated with three games remaining after losing 1-0 to Crystal Palace.
With Sarr’s potential, it was maybe surprising to see him return to the Championship with the Hornets, but he set out to help the squad achieve another promotion. However, the results were not satisfactory, and despite the winger’s continual danger, the club struggled to maintain consistency.
They finished 11th in the 2022/23 season, forcing them to play in the second tier for the first time in a decade. It was evident that keeping Sarr would be nearly difficult, therefore Marseille signed him in the summer of 2023 for an initial fee of £9.5 million.
Watford lost a lot of money on the once-promising teenager, but if they were still in the Premier League, they could have sold him for a higher price. Their failure to immediately regain promotion will always be a disappointment for the club and supporters, and it is possible that the Hertfordshire side would have recouped more of the sum that they paid on the 26 years old.