Watford Manager Marco Silva Insists Captain Troy Deeney Is Not for Sale Despite Leicester Interest

Watford manager Marco Silva has insisted club captain Troy Deeney is not for sale, despite the arrival of £18.5m new signing Andre Gray from Burnley.

Leicester failed with a £20m bid for the 29-year-old at the start of the summer, while West Brom's interest has declined since the Hornets slapped a £35m valuation on the former Walsall striker.

With Gray arriving this week, rumours have re-surfaced that Deeney could be forced to play a supporting role, which may force him out of Vicarage Road, but Silva insists that the two can work alongside each other.

Dan Mullan/GettyImages

Silva said, as quoted by the Mirror: “Will Troy stay? Of course – he is our player, our captain, he's one player we hope to keep and he's important to us.

“I've spoken with Troy many times during pre-season and I don't have any reason to change our captain.

“It's important to have different solutions. Gray is a different type of player to Troy and Stefano Okaka – they have different types of game.

“We will see if we play with one striker or two – but even if we play with only one, it is impossible to have only two options for the whole season.”

Deeney was one of Watford's most important players last season as they finished 17th last season, scoring 10 goals in 37 Premier League appearances.

He has played a huge part in Watford's rise to England's top flight, helping the Hornets achieve promotion from the Championship during the 2014/15 season.

Gray was signed from Burnley for £18m, with Watford also bringing in Tom Cleverley, Will Hughes, Nathaniel Chalobah and Richarlison amongst others.