Watford Sign to Club-Record £75m Deal in Stunning Coup
Vicarage Road, 1 December 2025 – Watford Football Club have completed the most audacious transfer in their 144-year history, signing Republic of Ireland international striker Evan Ferguson from Brighton & Hove Albion for an initial £65 million, rising to a potential £75 million with add-ons. The 20-year-old has penned a six-and-a-half-year contract worth a reported £135,000 a week before tax, making him by some distance the highest-paid player ever to wear the famous yellow shirt.
The deal, confirmed shortly after 9pm on Monday evening, smashes Watford’s previous transfer record of £30 million paid to Rennes for Giorgi Mikautadze in the summer of 2024 and represents a statement of intent from the Pozzo family that has stunned the footballing world.
Ferguson arrives at Vicarage Road having scored 19 Premier League goals in just 38 starts for Brighton, despite persistent injury problems over the past 18 months. Medical tests were completed in London on Sunday afternoon and sources close to the negotiations say Watford’s sporting director Cristiano Giaretta refused to budge on personal terms even when Ferguson’s representatives initially pushed for a release clause – a request the Hornets rejected outright.
Speaking exclusively to the Watford Observer moments after the deal was announced, owner and chairman Gino Pozzo said: “Evan is one of the best young forwards in world football. When the opportunity presented itself, we simply had to take it. This is not just a signing for today – it is a signing for the next decade. We are building something special here and Evan Ferguson is the centrepiece.”
The move reunites Ferguson with Valerien Ismael, the Watford head coach who gave the Irishman his senior Republic of Ireland debut while assistant to Jim Crawford with the under-21s. Ismael is understood to have played a pivotal role in convincing Ferguson that regular first-team football at Vicarage Road, rather than sporadic minutes at Brighton under Fabian Hürzeler, represented the best path for his development ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Brighton, who turned down bids in excess of £100 million from Chelsea and Arsenal for Ferguson in 2023, reluctantly sanctioned the sale after the player made it clear he would not extend his contract beyond 2028. Technical director David Weir confirmed: “Evan has been magnificent for us, but we respect his wishes. The fee reflects his immense talent and we wish him every success – except, of course, when he plays against us.”
Ferguson becomes Watford’s fifth major signing of the winter window following the arrivals of Argentine winger Thiago Almada, French centre-half Lilian Brassier, Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg on loan from Tottenham, and highly-rated Genk left-back Jhon Lucumí. The total spend now exceeds £180 million since the window opened, with the club’s parachute payments from last season’s Premier League relegation and significant investment from the Pozzo family underpinning the spree.
Inside Vicarage Road, the mood is one of barely-contained euphoria. Season-ticket holder Sarah Collins, 34, told reporters outside the club shop: “I genuinely thought the headline was a wind-up when I saw it on my phone. Evan Ferguson in a Watford shirt? We’re not dreaming, are we?”
The numbers behind the deal are staggering. Ferguson will earn in the region of £42 million over the course of the contract, with performance-related bonuses that could push his total package closer to £50 million. The transfer fee itself is structured with £50 million up front, £15 million in easily-achievable add-ons tied to appearances and goals, and a further £10 million should Watford qualify for the Champions League during the contract term – a clause inserted at the insistence of Brighton.
On the pitch, Ferguson is expected to form a mouth-watering partnership with summer signing Vakoun Issouf Bayo, who has 12 goals already this season. Ismael’s preferred 3-5-2 system now boasts arguably the most exciting young attacking duo in the Championship, with Ferguson’s aerial dominance and ice-cold finishing complementing