Watford insider Ryan Gray, who is Watford Observer's senior sports reporter, has predicted that Emmanuel Dennis will be leaving the Hornets in the summer transfer window.

Watford's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed last weekend after they were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace.

The Vicarage Road Stadium outfit are aiming to make an immediate return to the English top-flight but will have a big challenge retaining their standout players such as Emmanuel Dennis, Joshua King and Ismaïla Sarr.

A bargain signing at four million euros, Dennis arrived at Watford last summer with a huge reputation and lived up to the hype by directly participating in 16 goals in 33 appearances in the top-flight.

The Nigeria international will not add to his tally today when Watford take on Leicester City in their final home game of the season as he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained against Crystal Palace.

"He is really good. He was obviously a bit of a gamble when they brought him in," Gray said to Leicester City's official webpage.

"There was all these rumours about him making a fuss about which seat he could sit on in a bus and things like that, but he does have pedigree. He's scored a couple of goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

"You don't do that if you're not a good player and he's been a real rare source of positivity for Watford this season.

"It's a shame that it wasn't enough to keep them up and I think he will probably be one of the players that does leave in the summer to bring in a bit of capital to pay for the promotion push in the Championship, because I don't think he's a player that would settle for playing in the second tier."

Dennis is under contract with the Hertfordshire-based side until June 30, 2026.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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