Where Are Former Watford Stars Richarlison, Doucoure and Deulofeu Now?

Watford has seen some big talents grace Vicarage Road over the years, with players like Richarlison, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Gerard Deulofeu making a real impression before moving on to new challenges. These men helped produce some memorable Premier League moments, but where are they now? Let us take a look at their journeys since leaving Watford.

Abdoulaye Doucoure

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  Watford Appearances: 141

• Left Club: September 2020
• Price Sold: £20m
• Current Club: Everton

Abdoulaye Doucoure was not a player who made an immediate impact at Vicarage Road. Unfancied by manager Walter Mazzarri, he almost headed straight on loan to Lorient but the move could not be completed in time. He had to patiently bide his time but enjoyed a decent run of games in the second half of the 2016/17 campaign. Refusing to look back after this, he cemented himself as a regular starter in the 2017/18 season and played 3,325 of the available 3,420 Premier League minutes.

His superb stamina and work rate saw him named as Watford’s Player of the Season that year. Not only this but despite his considerable defensive contributions, he also finished the campaign as the club’s top goalscorer (albeit with a rather meagre total of seven goals). The physically imposing midfielder hardly missed a league game the following two seasons, featuring 35 times in 2018/19 and 37 times in 2019/20. With the Hornets relegated in the final season though, there was no chance of retaining Doucoure’s services any longer.

Where Is He Now?

Doucoure has been a fairly regular presence in the Everton team since his move to Merseyside in 2020 although injuries have struck him down on a few occasions. First joining the club when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge, Doucoure has played for an additional four permanent managers and this has seen him deployed in various roles. While sometimes used as a holding midfielder, during the 2023/24 for Sean Dyche, he was regularly deployed as a second striker.

In November 2023 the Malian signed a new contract tying him down to the club until 2025, with Everton having the option to extend it by a further year. Whether the Toffees will trigger this option remains to be seen. Now aged 32, the French-born midfielder will begin to decline physically and this is an issue as it is a big part of his game. He is also reportedly one of the best-paid players at the club so the contract extension would need to have a big wage reduction built in.

Richarlison

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  Watford Appearances: 41

• Left Club: July 2018
• Price Sold: £40m
• Current Club: Tottenham

Watford forked out £11.2m to sign Richarlison from Brazilian outfit Fluminense. Looking at just his stats, (five goals in 41 games) you could be led to believe that he was a complete flop but the figures can be misleading. Despite a lack of goals, Richarlison impressed during his short time at Vicarage Road, or rather he did during the first few months. There was a noticeable decline in the second half of the campaign which saw him fail to score a single goal.

Still, the 20-year-old (at the time) showed enough quality during his opening few months at Vicarage Road to attract interest from other clubs. Lacking a summer break (he played for Fluminense throughout June and July) he also had a fair excuse as to why he tailed off in such a physically demanding league. Watford fans were largely sad to see him go although the reported £40m fee Everton paid really helped soften the blow. At that price, few would have turned down the offer.

Where Is He Now?

Richarlison quickly established himself as a fan favourite at Everton and spent four full seasons at Goodison Park. Suffering financial difficulties, the club reluctantly agreed to sell him to Tottenham for a fee worth a guaranteed £50m plus £10m in add-ons. Despite showing real ability at the Merseyside club, injuries have stopped the Brazilian from making a success of things at Tottenham.

Opportunities were initially limited as the Brazilian was behind Harry Kane in the pecking order. When Kane left in the summer of 2023, however, Tottenham’s number nine had a chance to be a regular starter. This is when his injury woes began, however. He picked up four separate problems in the 2023/24 season and has spent most of the 2024/25 campaign sidelined. Not only have these prevented him from enjoying a consistent run, but they appear to have taken their toll physically.

The Brazilian’s contract expires in 2027 and he will likely see this out as no club is going to want to sign such an injury-prone striker. For a player who did not miss a Watford game, and was relatively resilient for Everton, his fragility is a fairly new development but one that has completely derailed his career and seen him excluded from national team action.

Gerard Deulofeu

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  Watford Appearances: 70

• Left Club: October 2020
• Price Sold: Loan then €17m
• Current Club: None

Gerard Deulofeu is a name Watford fans recall very fondly indeed. Undoubtedly one of the most technically gifted players to grace Vicarage Road and perhaps the most skilful. Watching the Barcelona academy graduate jink past defenders was often a joy to behold. He also became the first-ever player to score a Premier League hat-trick for the Hornets, doing so in a 5-1 drubbing of Cardiff in 2019.

When he was fully fit, he would be such a delight to watch. This highlight’s video from the 2019/20 season helps show you why he would regularly get Watford supporters out of their seats. This was a season in which the forward scored 10 league goals, plus another in the two in the FA Cup semi-final. One of these cup goals, a delightful dink into the top corner, not only started Watford’s dramatic comeback but it was voted goal of the tournament.

Where Is He Now?

Since leaving for Udinese on loan, a deal made permanent months later, Deulofeu has not featured for another club. The Italians signed him while he was still out of action with an ACL injury sustained in March 2020 but he made a fairly swift recovery given the seriousness of the problem as was back playing again in October.

He was regularly a starter for Udinese, when fit, and a decent source of goals (13 in the 2021/22 season) but has not been on the pitch since undergoing knee surgery in January 2023. During the operation, he picked up an infection in his cartilage and this has seen him spend more than two years out of action. As it is very possible he may never play again, in January 2025 Udinese and Deulofeu agreed to terminate the 30-year-old’s contract.