Capoue: “I'm Now Focused On This Club”

By: Kevin Affleck

Étienne Capoue said he is fully committed to the primary goal of getting the club back to the Premier League, feeling he is indebted to the key decision makers at Vicarage Road after they gave him the platform to establish himself as a high-class top-flight player.

The French midfielder toyed with the idea of leaving Vicarage Road after a demotion to the Championship that hit him hard, a move that few fans would begrudge a player of his rich quality.

But he has since pledged his future to the Golden Boys, been reintegrated by Head Coach Vladimir Ivić who is satisfied with the player's motivation and is now hellbent on getting the team back to the Premier League.

“It was close,” he said. “I had the opportunity to discover another league, another club but it didn't go through, but it's now the past and I'm now focused on this club. I am really pleased [to still be here]. I spoke to [owner] Gino [Pozzo] and [Technical Director] Filippo [Giraldi]. It was a difficult choice about whether to leave. I am really happy to be here. I need to stay here because I know the club perfectly and they know what I can do and what I can produce.

“I really love this club. They gave me the opportunity to show what I can do in the Prem and I'm happy to give 100 per cent to this club.”

Capoue has provided some joyous moments during the past five years, some performances in midfield the like of which fans have never seen before, but it all ended in crushing disappointment in July when he sat on the bench for the last game at Arsenal - despite not being among the subs - and was powerless to prevent the team from being relegated.

“That was a really bad moment for me,” he said. “I went straight on holiday but I was just thinking about it. It was a really bad few weeks, a bad moment for the club. I was really sad for myself, the club and for everybody. We have been working so hard for five years to establish ourselves.

“It was so painful, the last game was so painful. I tried to come back and force myself to do it but I couldn't. I felt so bad and it was a really bad moment in my career. We now need to forget this otherwise we stay in the Championship and we really don't want this. We need to stay focused – not just to get promoted but to be champions.”

The Hornets have made a solid start and Capoue expects the team to really get to grips with the league after a rude awakening at Adams Park on Tuesday night.

"Everybody has to do their job, it's all about winning," said the 32-year-old. "The Championship is a fight and we need to change our game from the Premier League. We are adapting and still have points, but I think we will understand and then I think we will be unstoppable."

More On Hive Live!

See the full interview with Étienne Capoue and much more on Hive Live when Watford visit Barnsley on Saturday October 31 (coverage from 2pm for a 3pm kick-off). See HERE for more.

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