Palmer leaving Hornets

Academy recruitment manager Steve Palmer is to leave his post at Watford to take up a role with the Premier League.

Palmer, a two-time promotion winner with the Hornets, returned to the club six months ago to overlook the academy system at Vicarage Road but he will move on to the Premier League to design and build a performance management system for young players within the new EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan). "On one hand I'm very sad to be leaving the club again, so to speak," Palmer told Watford's official website. "I've had a thoroughly enjoyable, albeit brief, time back as a full-time member of staff but this was too good an opportunity to turn down. "You could describe it as a 'dream job', I guess, in that the role combines my professional IT qualification skills with my knowledge gained within the football environment." Head of the academy at Watford, Nick Cox, added: "I would like to thank Steve for the excellent work he has produced in the time he has been with us. "The creation of a recruitment database and performance management system, in particular, have moved the department on greatly and will be his legacy."