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By: Ebenezer Bajela
Super Eagles forward, Emmanuel Dennis, may have been inspired by popular singer Madonna, who once said, “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change and become a better version of yourself.”
Since swapping Istanbul Basaksehir for Watford following an unsuccessful loan spell in Turkey last January, Dennis has found a new lease of life back in England.
The Nigerian is currently on loan at the Championship outfit from parent club Nottingham Forest and seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch after a tough start to the season.
The former Club Brugge forward initially completed a loan move to Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir in September 2023 but Forest terminated the move in January after the player made just eight appearances with no goal involvement.
Since returning to Watford, the Nigerian attacker has found the back of the net four times in six starts and is enjoying his football again with the EFL Championship side.
Despite being reduced to a bench role since returning to Vicarage Road, Dennis netted his first goal in Watford’s 2-1 home loss to Leicester City and in his first start for the club, he found the back of the net again as the Hornets suffered a 2-1 defeat against Huddersfield in front of their fans.
Following an impressive contribution, the Nigerian is beginning to become an integral part of the team and has started each of their last six games, scoring four goals in the process, despite completing the entire 90 minutes only on two occasions.
In his first spell with Watford, the 26-year-old equalled Troy Deeney’s record as he became the first player since 2017 to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the club.
He was close to making history against Swansea earlier this month as he could have become the second Watford player to score in three consecutive home games after Mileta Rajovic but was denied by an impressive Carl Rushworth in the encounter.
Dennis’ impressive performance in recent times has not gone unnoticed as he was heavily praised by the club’s interim manager Tom Cleverly.
“We know that Dennis has got that explosive burst. As a defender, you can think you’re comfortable on the ball, and then he appears from nowhere,” Cleverly said.
“We said to the players we thought we would create chances through high regains. We didn’t win as many as I’d like but the one that mattered went in. He’s been nursing a small groin issue, so it was always in my mind that he wouldn’t complete the game. He’s done well to get to an hour and score the winning goal.”
Dennis will hope to continue his rich vein of form when Watford host Preston at home in their next EFL Championship game on Saturday.