Uche Ikpeazu Released by Watford

The 21-year-old forward is one of the players to have officially been released by the Hawthorn based outfit
Uche Ikpeazu is one of the players to have been officially released by Watford.

In a statement released by the Hornets, the club confirmed that Ikpeazu who is a member of the U21 team, George Byers, Josh Doherty, Matt Hall, Jorell Johnson, Mahlondo Martin, Bernard Mensah, Luke Simpson and Alfie Young would not be offered new contracts after their deals expired at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the Vicarage Road outfit chose offer academy scholars Andrew Eleftheriou, Nathan Gartside, Brandon Mason, Rhyle Ovenden, Charlie Rowan and Connor Stevens professional contracts having impressing during a title-winning season.

The Nigerian failed to stamp a place in the Hornets since his move from Readings in 2013 and was loaned to Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Doncaster Rovers and Black Pool in his three-year spell with the team.

Also, Joel Ekstrand will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June. The Swede made 100 appearances with two goals during four years at Vicarage Road.

Little info about Uche Ikpeazu

Karl Anthony Uchechuckwu Mubiru "Uche" Ikpeazu (born 28 February 1995) is a footballer born and raised in England, of Nigerian descent, who plays as a forward; he was released by Premier League club Watford in June 2016.

A former Reading Academy player, he joined Watford in 2013. He spent three with the club without making a first team appearance, and instead played on loan at Crewe Alexandra, Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale, and Blackpool.

He was offered a professional contract by Reading but turned it down and instead signed a three-year contract with fellow Championship side Watford in July 2013.Due to his age Watford were required to pay compensation which, after six months of negotiations, was agreed in January 2014 with the fee remaining undisclosed.The same month, having yet to make his first-team debut for Watford, Ikpeazu joined League One side Crewe Alexandra on loan until the end of the season.He made his debut at Gresty Road as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Leyton Orient on 18 January, and scored his first goals in professional football with a brace against Bradford City three weeks later.

Ikpeazu returned to Crewe on 26 November 2014, on a loan deal until 25 January 2015.Two days later he scored in a 1–1 home draw with Doncaster Rovers.After the loan deal ended he joined Doncaster Rovers on loan.He was reported to have been viewed as a possible permanent signing by manager Paul Dickov, but returned to Watford in March after failing to impress at the Keepmoat Stadium.He then returned to Crewe on loan after manager Steve Davis admitted that he was unable to replace Ikpeazu during his absence.

Ikpeazu joined League One side Port Vale on a six-month loan in July 2015, having impressed manager Rob Page playing against the Vale for Crewe the previous season.He started the campaign as the club's main striker, and though he dropped out of the first eleven against Oldham Athletic on 29 September he came off the bench to score an equalising goal.Page was hopeful of extending the loan deal until the end of the season, as Ikpeazu was the club's top-scorer throughout the early stages of the campaign.

However he lost his first team place after being sent off against Burton Albion on 24 October as AJ Leitch-Smith entered the side and found a rich vein of form.Despite Ikpeazu still being the club's top-scorer his loan spell was not extended in January.He remained in League One however, as he joined Blackpool on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season.Ikpeazu was then released by Watford upon the expiry of his contract.

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