Troy Deeney has revealed that he would have turned down a move to Birmingham City this summer if they had come in for him any earlier before it became clear he had to leave Watford.

Birmingham managed to bring Deeney into their squad late on in the transfer window after it had emerged that the forward was going to be allowed to leave Watford and bring an end to his successful 11-year spell at Vicarage Road.

The decision for Watford to allow Deeney to leave the club came following them securing deals for the likes of Josh King, Emmanuel Dennis and Ashley Flethcer during the summer window.

That saw the forward move down even further down the pecking order at Watford and it became clear that he would not get the time he was used to this term at Vicarage Road.

The Blues stepped in and signed him on a free transfer and he will now be aiming to hit the ground running for Birmingham following the end of the international break.

Speaking to Birmingham Live, Deeney has admitted that his first option earlier in the summer was to earn himself a place back in Watford’s plans.

He suggested that he might have turned down Birmingham had he not slipped down the pecking order at Vicarage Road following their summer arrivals.

“I think if Blues would have come in a week before I probably would have said no," Deeney said.

“I was still quite happy that I might get a game in the Carabao Cup, score and re-spark the Watford career again.

“That didn’t happen so it was time to reassess and have a conversation with the club about moving forward."

The verdict

Birmingham will be pleased that Deeney’s situation developed the way that it did before the end of the summer transfer window.

That is because it has enabled them to bring the boyhood Blues supporter into the club in what could be a big signing for them this season.

Deeney had a strong relationship with Watford supporters and he was a huge part of the progress that they have made during the 11-years he was at Vicarage Road. That included two promotions and also helping them to reach the FA Cup final.

Therefore, it was always going to be a difficult decision for Deeney to make to leave Watford and give up the chance to feature in the Premier League once again this season.

It should therefore not come as too much of a surprise that Deeney might have found it difficult to move to Birmingham if he had thought that he would get game time with Watford.

The 33-year-old though will be welcomed to the club with open arms by supporters you would imagine and it will be interesting to see how well he can perform at this stage in his career for the Blues.