Former Watford captain Troy Deeney has reopened his long-simmering dispute with William Troost-Ekong, branding the Super Eagles captain “insecure” as criticism of his leadership.
Troost-Ekong and Deeney were teammates during Watford’s 2020/21 Championship campaign, though they never shared the pitch.
The pair maintained a cordial relationship then Ekong even gifted Deeney a Nigeria shirt but that goodwill has now evaporated.
Deeney and Ekong during their time at Watford. Photo Credit: Getty Images
The dispute reignited when CBS pundit Michael Lahoud questioned Troost-Ekong’s authority within the national team, dismissing him as a “social media leader”.
Lahoud said:
“William Troost-Ekong hasn’t stepped up as a leader. He’s a social media leader. He’s tweeted things. The biggest thing he’s done in terms of leadership was when they had the debacle in Libya when they were left at the airport.
He did the press conferences, but on the field, he’s done zero talking. He hasn’t led from the back.”
He added that Nigeria “needs to do the talking on the pitch.”
Deeney echoed those sentiments, criticising Ekong’s toughness when dealing with football administration and suggesting he lacked the personality to demand for the squad behind the scenes.
Troost-Ekong: ‘He could have just picked up the phone’
After Nigeria swept aside Gabon in the playoffs, Troost-Ekong expressed disappointment that Deeney had chosen to go public rather than reach out privately.
The Super Eagles captain said he had supported Deeney during the striker’s captaincy at Watford and expected the same respect in return.
Troost-Ekong said:
“To be honest, I was slightly disappointed because I supported him when he was the captain at Watford. I’ve also gone on to captain Watford myself.
He could have just picked up the phone and called me. If he didn’t respect me, maybe he should take away the Nigeria shirt I gave him, maybe it’s on his wall somewhere. But I don’t want to talk about it too much.”
Ekong has been a mainstay for the Super Eagles for 10 years. Photo Credit: NFF COMMS
His comments framed the row as one rooted in mutual respect or a lack of it, rather than a simple footballing disagreement.
Deeney’s counterattack: blunt, personal and dismissive
Deeney has now responded with a sharper edge, accusing Troost-Ekong of overreacting and claiming his defensive posture proves Lahoud’s point.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Deeney insisted he did nothing wrong:
“What did I say that’s not respectful? I’ve said exactly what it is. He’s a good kid.”
He acknowledged Ekong’s shirt gift but dismissed its deeper meaning:
“He did give me a shirt, because I collect shirts. It’s a weird one.”
And he made it clear there would be no private apology:
“If I remotely cared about giving him a call, I would, but I don’t. I could call Will [Ekong]; he’s a good kid.”
Deeney argued that the Super Eagles captain lacks the nastiness required to push hard for his teammates:
“In my opinion, when it comes to those situations with the federation, you do need to be a bit nasty, you need to be horrible, and I don’t think I saw that character from him at Watford.”
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He then suggested Troost-Ekong had validated Lahoud’s criticism by willingly fronting the media:
“The one thing I would say is that he’s given Michael Lahoud credit, because Michael said he would go out and do all that press, playing into his narrative.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
And in perhaps his most stinging line, he pointed at insecurity:
“You know what happens when someone tells the truth? It hurts.”
“So, if I offended you, Will, deal with it. Crack on. If I were remotely disrespectful, I would do it the right way because you know me.”
“Secondly, if you had to tell people how many caps you’ve had and all that stuff you’re doing, you’re not that secure in yourself.”
Troy Deeney. Photo Credit: Talk sports/X
Deeney ended with a cutting sign-off, urging Ekong to stay out of the media back-and-forth:
“Just chill. Nigeria won. Don’t talk about us; let us do the media stuff, you do your podcast. Love you and see you soon.”
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The drama arrives at a time Nigeria can least afford distractions. The Super Eagles head into a crucial World Cup playoff meeting with DR Congo at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat. Kick-off is at 20:00 WAT on Sunday.
