Back in 2016, Watford decided to spend around £5.5m on Stefano Okaka who had just come off a good season with Anderlecht.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan for the Italy international over the next three years, during which he only made 39 appearances for the Hornets, scoring five goals along the way.
This lack of game time under various managers led to a loan move to Udinese in Serie A for the second half of last season, where he enjoyed himself, and led to a permanent move being organised this summer.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday, the striker looked back at his time with Watford, and made one thing very clear.
He said: “A cycle had ended there. In England, I gave. I don’t watch even watch Watford games, even though I still have a true friendship with [Roberto] Pereyra. I won’t be back. Yes, London is beautiful, but it is one thing visiting it, and another to live there, an hour way”.Those a pretty definite words from Okaka, who appears to be in dreamland back in Udine, where he is getting the ‘love’ he was looking for as a player.
He also admitted he came close to going to Besiktas at one point, because of an ‘advantageous’ contract, but Udinese’s offer, the only place he would have returned to in Italy, at the last minute made him change his mind.
