The link-up play between Ighalo and Deeney was too good for Newcastle
"For instance, in La Liga the marking is tighter and more collective. There are more spaces here, and because he's fast and can get to the ball first it helps him. Sometimes, the same as how Roberto Soldado is a striker for La Liga and not for the Premier League, it works the other way around."
Released by Udinese last October, his loan deal at Watford - yet another club owned by the Pozzo family - was immediately converted into a permanent transfer. He soon won over supporters, scoring four second-half goals against Blackpool, and the club's then boss Slavisa Jokanovic praised his quality and work rate. But the summer threatened to bring another twist.
Watford strikers Ighalo and Deeney interview each other for Sky Sports
The Chinese second tier was looming for the nomadic Ighalo. Hebei China Fortune had come up with a reported £10m offer and a salary of around £50,000 per week. He was tempted. "They offered me crazy money," said Ighalo. "But I don't think it is a good league for me. It is not always about the money." Staying put already looks a smart move.
Not only does Ighalo have a key role in the dressing room, such as in helping former Granada team-mate Allan Nyom settle in at the club, but he has developed a strong partnership with Watford captain Troy Deeney. It's the sort of chemistry that Ighalo cannot rely upon finding elsewhere.
Troy Deeney has assisted three of Ighalo's Premier League goals so far
So far this season, Deeney has assisted three of his goals. That makes it the most common goal combination in the Premier League. Operating slightly deeper, Deeney has sacrificed his own goalscoring instincts to help bring the best out of his partner. "We put Ighalo closer to the goal as his feeling close to the goal is good," said Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores.
That's certainly proving to be the case. Ighalo is one of only 13 forwards in the Premier League to get five or more clear-cut chances this season and he boasts the best conversion rate among all of them. While Ighalo praises Deeney's work rate, even his skipper admits Ighalo is "naturally a better finisher" than him.
You can see that they're never more than 10 or 15 yards apart from each other. That's the sign of a good partnership.
Kevin Phillips on Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney
They have worked at the partnership. Ighalo says playing "closer together" was the plan, and former Watford and England striker Kevin Phillips feels that's key. "You can see that they're never more than 10 or 15 yards apart from each other," Phillips told Sky Sports . "That's the sign of a good partnership. And this boy can score. He's a goalscorer."
The challenge now is to keep the run going. Recently, Ighalo spoke of his pride at his top-scorer status but, with Jordan Rhodes and Benik Afobe playing in the division below, maintaining his advantage might be too much to expect. Flores will settle for keeping his top scorer happy at Vicarage Road.
"He took a decision two months ago to stay here at Watford," said Flores. "He had offers from other teams but he decided to stay, so it's clever because he saw something in the football that is good for him. He is involved a lot with the team in training during the week, so for us, he is a very important player." He's becoming more important all the time.
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