Watford Sporting Director Cristiano Giaretta has revealed that 'family matters' are why the club are letting Kiko Femenia leave.

The full-back has been a reliable performer for the Hornets over the years, so there was understandably some questions as reports revealed the Spaniard was set to join Villarreal.

However, in an honest message shared by the club's media, Giaretta explained that Femenia's desire to return to his home country was the driving force behind the deal.

"Kiko had some family matters in Spain so he wasn’t with us in Austria. The family things are still around, so we want to show respect for him to prefer to work in Spain and be closer to his family.

"We didn’t want Kiko to leave but it is clear it is a sensible decision, now that we already have a solution ready for the club."

Femenia is set to be replaced by Mario Gaspar at Vicarage Road, with the 31-year-old to head in the opposite direction as part of this agreement.

Rob Edwards' side begin their Championship campaign against Sheffield United on August 1.

The verdict

This is good from the club as it gives the fans an insight into why the decision has been made - and it's one that they will respect.

Clearly, Femenia was pushing to go back to Spain for family reasons and when the player wants to leave it makes little sense in keeping them at the club as you could struggle to get the best out of them.

Now, Watford will have a player who wants to be here and whilst Femenia will be missed, Gaspar has excellent, top level pedigree and could quickly become an important figure in this squad.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.