Before joining Watford, Emmanuel Dennis was remembered for scoring two goals at the Bernabeu. In 2019, Dennis, who then played for Club Brugge, scored two goals in a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage. The show put the Nigerian in the spotlight, but it was only a brief flash of light for the striker. Dennis is notorious to have scored a single league goal in the 2020-21 season, as neither Club Brugge nor Club Cologne were able to play his goal talent in the Belgian league and the Bundesliga respectively. But that still couldn't resist Watford's interest in the striker in the summer, who spent £3.5m bringing in Dennis from Bruges.
When they confirmed his arrival at Vicarage Road in June, Dennis signed the club to a five-year contract, a largely overlooked transfer. Even after a standout in his opening game against Aston Villa, the 24-year-old contributed a goal and an assist, few could have foreseen Dennis becoming one of the stars of the season so far. The Hornets' new shooter has scored just two goals in his first eight games, but a brilliant performance away to Everton seemed to improve his form considerably. Dennis came off the bench in a 5-2 victory over Goodison Park on October, scoring one goal and assisting twice. From that game onwards, the Nigeria international was almost unstoppable.
After scoring against Brentford last week, Dennis now has seven goals and five assists. In this season's Premier League, only Salah (23 goals) has scored more goals than Dennis (12 goals), even three more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Since Ranieri became Watford manager, the former Bruges player has rewarded the trust the team and other teammates have placed in him. In fact, Dennis's upward momentum has only increased since the international match day in October. People will take his offensive prowess as a key reason for his performance under Ranieri, and it's easy to see why. Of all Watford players this season, only Ismaila Sal (1.9) has averaged more dribbling per game than Dennis (1.8), while averaging 1.4 key passes per game is sixth among Ranieri's side. However, a key ability Dennis has played this season has been his efforts without the ball, which has ensured that Watford are able to maintain their lead.
The performance of two tackles per game is a high statistic for a player in the arrow position. Watford have conceded more goals (21) than any other team since Ranieri took charge, but Dennis's tenacity ensures that opposing full-backs are always defensive and that if the striker does not apply pressure to force the opponent to make a mistake, he will not have a chance to solve the opponent's defense. As most people expect, many Premier League teams are watching Dennis' performance at Watford. Arsenal and Manchester United are considered interested and it's easy to see why. Considering Watford's bottom-line average of shots per game (11.3) and key passes per game (8.9), the striker's prolific performance is a far cry from last season's league form and testaments to his psychological stability, i.e. he will not be affected by his performance in 2020-21 to his quick adaptation to Premier League football.
Dennis may struggle to stay in that explosive state for long, but he's using his efforts to be the focus of Watford. The 12 goals and assists stats are better than many have expected after his summer arrival, so if Watford do choose to sell, then their investment in Dennis will pay off handsomely. That said, if the Hornets do avoid relegation this season because of Dennis's great performances, their investment in the striker will certainly pay off.