LONDON, Aug 3 — Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure has extended his two-year stay at Vicarage Road by signing a new contract to keep him at the club until 2023, the Premier League side have said.

The 25-year-old Frenchman joined Watford in 2016 and has established himself as a mainstay in central midfield, missing just two of their 41 matches last season and winning the club’s Player of the Season award.

"It has become perfectly clear that our ambitions as a club match Abdoulaye’s ambitions as a player, and we are looking forward to continuing to work together to reach our goals,” Watford chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury told the club’s website.

Watford have also recruited five new players and made winger Gerard Delofeu a permanent signing ahead of the new season, which kicks off at home against Brighton and Hove Albion on August 11. — Reuters