Rumour Mongering: Lazar Markovic’s Watford Reunion

After spending the second half of the 2016-17 season on loan at Hull City under manager Marco Silva, Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic could be set to reunite with him at Watford. The two spent 14 games together last season before The Tigers were relegated from the Premier League and Silva resigned.

Shortly afterwards, Watford’s owners sacked Walter Mazzarri following their own narrow escape from relegation—they finished six points and one position ahead of Hull—and brought in Silva. Who now, according to The Telegraph, wants to bring Markovic to his new club on a permanent deal.

Markovic, now 23 years old, scored two goals with Hull, good for a goal involvement every 566 minutes. Despite the quite dreadful return, the consensus opinion was it was at least in part due to playing in a very poor side and that he had a solid loan spell and was one of Hull’s better performers during his time there.

The Serbian international signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2014 in a £20M deal but failed to impress consistently for the Reds. He spent the next two seasons out on loan, first with Fenerbahce in 2015-16 and then Sporting CP before making the mid-season switch to Hull.

His time in Turkey was marred by injury and, when he was fit, a poor return. In Portugal, hopes he could rediscover his form under another former manager ended with Markovic consigned to the bench. He made the move to Hull after Sporting terminated what had been intended to be a season-long loan.

His Hull City reviews, then—a poor goal return but generally positive reviews of his performances otherwise—likely marks the high point of Markovic’s past three seasons. Despite that, Liverpool reportedly are hoping to recoup at least most of what they originally paid for him.