Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong does not see Watford move as a step-down

Quite a few people were surprised to see Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong make a switch from the Italian Serie A side Udinese to join Watford who had just been relegated from the Premier League and were going to be playing the lower tier Championship.

During the Super Eagles press conference before the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sierra Leone, Troost-Ekong was asked by a journalist why he made the move and the defender said it was a new challenge he wanted.

“It was a decision in my career, I stand by it. It was a new challenge. I enjoyed myself in Udinese, I think everybody saw what I could do there and I believe in the project for Watford to go there to the Premier League and we are working on that this season,” the 27-year-old central defender said.

“We will see by the end of the season how that's gone and then we make a decision again. For me regular football is important, I think the Championship is a very competitive league and I enjoyed myself in the Serie A but I'm ready for a new challenge.”

Watford are looking to get up to the Premier League again and have tried to keep some of their key players.

Troost-Ekong believes the side has the qualities to achieve that aim and wants to contribute to that.

“We sit in second in the league and we have a very good team. Almost all the teams will expect us to go up again,” he said.

“I think we've got a lot of players that are Premier League standards and we will see it is a very difficult league and we still have a lot of games to go but I believe in the quality that we have. We have some top players in the team and I just want to contribute to that and hopefully, get promoted.”

Troost-Ekong is starting to get settled in the squad and has played five league games for them. He scored in the game just before the international break.