Jake Livermore: Watford sign midfielder after departure from West Brom

Watford have signed former England midfielder Jake Livermore.

Livermore spent six-and-a-half years with Albion, making 206 league appearances including 17 last season.

He started his career at Tottenham Hotspur, who sold him to Hull City in 2014 after he had been on loan with the Tigers.

The last of his seven appearances for England came in a goalless draw against Brazil in November 2017.

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July 21 – Senegal’s Pape Gueye, or his new club Olympique Marseilles, have been ordered to pay £2.3 million in compensation to Watford for breach of contract.

The ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upholds a decision made by FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamberon 25 November 2021.

CAS ruled that Gueye had breached his contract with Watford and made Gueye and OM, jointly and severally liable for the compensation to Watford. CAS said it considered OM :to have induced the Player to breach his contract with his former club”.

Gueye had also been sanctioned with four months from playing in official matches, while OM was given a two-window ban on transfers.

The OM transfer ban was lifted but Watford, who had also appealed the decision, asking for an increase in compensation, lost their appeal.

CAS said in a statement: “After taking into consideration all the evidence and arguments put forward by the parties in the three procedures, the Panel reached the same conclusion as the FIFA DRC in determining that the Player had indeed terminated his contract with Watford FC without just cause and that compensation of GBP 2,307,875 should be paid to Watford FC by the Player and OM jointly and severally. However, the CAS Panel determined that OM had in fact rebutted the presumption of inducement and annulled the disciplinary sanction imposed on OM.”

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Watford have signed released West Brom man Jake Livermore on a one-year deal.

Watford announced the news earlier today, with the 33-year-old Livermore having been training with Valerien Ismael’s side in pre-season.

And now he links up with the former Baggies boss at Vicarage Road and he’ll be lining up against West Brom in the Championship next season.

Ismael has wasted no time in getting to work on his new side with Livermore becoming the third signing of the summer so far, with Rhys Healey and Tom Ince having already signed.

Gent midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze and Newcastle United defender Jamal Lewis both look set to sign on loan this summer too.

Ex-Spurs man Livermore has played for a number of clubs at Championship level but is best known for his time at Hull City and West Brom.

Captaining the latter, Livermore racked up 194 total appearances in six-and-a-half years at The Hawthorns, scoring seven goals before his release last summer.

Livermore certainly adds experience to the Watford ranks ahead of next season, and he’s a player that Ismael already knows, so it looks like a decent signing on the surface.

Watford’s summer transfer plans are quickly coming together but the same can’t be said of the Baggies who are yet to make a single signing this summer.

It’s looking pretty perilous for Carlos Corberan’s side and they might yet be ruing the decision to let Livermore go, especially if he goes on to have a successful spell at Vicarage Road.