Watford manager Walter Mazzarri fears Odion Ighalo is being unsettled by grasping agents out to “destabilise” his misfiring striker.
The Hornets turned down a £30million-plus bid from Manchester United in January, and a monster £37.5m move from Chinese moneybags Shanghai SIPG in the summer, for their top scorer last season.
Now Ighalo, 27, is being linked with Mazzarri’s former club Napoli – and the Watford manager is livid.
He scowled: “Ighalo is our player, he is very happy here, and has not told me anything about interest from other clubs. I hope he stays for a long time.
“If the transfer window does not open until January, where are all these voices and rumours coming from?
“They appear because one or two people want to unsettle him or destabilise the club, but there are many games before January.
“How can we even talk about Watford and Napoli in the transfer market? There are maybe 10 games to go before the window opens, so there is no point talking about it.
“Ighalo could score 15 goals between now and January, or he may not even be playing. The only people who talk about him moving now are those who want to create confusion.
“In 10 games, everything can change in football – values can go up or down but, to be clear, I don’t talk about rumours. Ighalo is our player.
“I cannot know how much other clubs value him because I am a manager and my job is to work with my club’s own players.”
Ighalo, dropped for Watford’s win at Middlesbrough a fortnight ago, is back in the starting line-up because his fellow Nigerian Isaac Success faces another three weeks out with a thigh injury.
But he is also going through an extended dip in form. After plundering 30 goals in 2015, the Nigeria striker has managed only six in this calendar year – just three of those coming in the Premier League.
And Mazzarri added: “All strikers go through spells when they are more in form than at other times.
“I hope it will take only one episode, one incident, and Ighalo will be up and running for the season.
“I’ve been happy with his performances, apart from one or two exceptions – now we hope he can become the Ighalo we know.”
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