Horns turned down Ellington bid

7:56am Saturday 26th April 2008

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Aidy Boothroyd has revealed Watford turned down a bid from Derby County in January to sign Nathan Ellington - and that Collins John would have failed a medical had he undergone one when he joined on loan from Fulham.

Rams boss Paul Jewell tabled a bid for Ellington during the transfer window, hoping to reunite himself with a player who performed wonders for him at Wigan Athletic.

But Watford rebuffed Derby's approach, although they are expected to test the Hornets' resolve again in the summer.

"I turned down the bid because I believe he can do it," said Boothroyd on his £3.25m record signing.

"If he is the one that gets that goal at Wembley for us then it will be good business.

"He has an excellent football brain, he can run in behind, he can play in between and pick passes. We haven't found a way to get the best out of him yet."

Added chairman Graham Simpson: "We have always said that the manager makes those decisions. It was a no-brainer as far as I was concerned. He said he didn't want Nathan to go and so therefore Nathan wasn't going."

Ellington flourished in January and February, scoring three goals in five matches but he has been on the periphery since, with Boothroyd opting to pair Tamas Priskin and Darius Henderson in attack for the last two games.

"People will say he's not been given a crack and he's not been brought on early enough," said Boothroyd. "People are entitled to that opinion. I haven't brought him to sit him on the bench but I'm looking at what's best for the team and that's a decision I've made.

"He's come from West Brom who like to pass the ball out from the back. He then comes to a team where he would say he doesn't get the ball to feet enough.

"I believe you have to stretch teams and Nathan is the perfect player when the game is stretched, particularly at home. He has an awful lot of attributes but he just hasn't done the right things up until now."

Meanwhile, John returned to Fulham this week for surgery on a thigh muscle he ruptured during a practice match. He started just three games during his goalless loan spell and failed to complete a full 90 minutes.

"It's disappointing," said Boothroyd. "Bringing him here was all about getting to know him and have a look at him. If he had done a medical when he arrived he probably wouldn't have passed it.

"But the fact that he came in as a loan player, and not a signing, gave us the chance to have a look at him and maybe get a reduced fee for him at the end of the season, if he was what we required.

"The lad has had to get fit but then I've had to tell him I can't play him because he isn't match fit. He's been unfortunate and it's on my head who I bring in and who I get rid of."

During John's ignominious stay at Vicarage Road, Watford will have had to pay at least 50 per cent of John's reported £18,000 a week wages, as well as give the Cottagers a loan fee.

"He's not a charity, of course there was a cost involved," said the manager. "I thought it was better to get him in and pay his wages rather than lay out a transfer fee for a player who was going to be out for six or seven months."

Watford had a bid of £3.25m accepted for John in January 2007 and had agreed a £2m move for the player this summer should his loan spell prove successful and the team win promotion to the Premiership.

The Dutch forward arrived at Vicarage Road with a chequered injury record and a reputation as a poor trainer.

"You get people who come in and hit the ground running, like Foster and Johnson, and you get those who don't," said the manager. "That's why we got CJ in on loan. He turned me down once and I wanted to see how hungry he was. I guess you can say thanks goodness we didn't invest the money in a transfer fee."