Basingstoke Town can now confirm that our popular young striker Ezio Touray has signed for Championship side Watford FC.
Touray, who was on non-contract terms with Basingstoke since signing from Reading City in the summer of 2022, quickly became a popular figure to the Basingstoke faithful scoring an impressive 13 goals in 15 games. His talents drew a lot of interest from a number of National League clubs, but Ezio decided he wanted to remain at the club in faith that his continued progress would attract bigger attractions.
Ezio continued his early trajectory and was handed a trial with a League One club. Although nothing materialised, it did not deter the Italian-born striker. He was soon rewarded with an another trial, this time in the shape of an initial two week trial with ‘The Hornets’ back on the 14th November. After impressing in a number of games, they requested that we extended the trial until the end of December in view of signing him in the January transfer window.
Despite a relatively short period with us in the large scheme of things, Ezio truly made his mark. Ezio’s first official goal came within minutes of being substituted on for his league debut away at Hanworth Villa. His many other memorable moments included a brace away at Chertsey matched by a brilliant all round performance, a stunning strike versus Weston-Super-Mare and that brilliant free-kick away at Uxbridge.
“It’s bittersweet.” said Manager, Dan Brownlie. “We’re absolutely gutted to lose him, there’s no doubt about that. However, we are genuinely over the moon for the lad and the opportunity that now lays in front of him.”
“We spoke to Ezio during the early stages of pre-season after Simon Johnson from Reading City and Ben Cook recommended that we do. We were honest with him. We told him that he could trust us to offer him decent game time, but there would be times he’d need to be patient. The more we saw, the more we liked him. He fit in perfectly. He turned from a player that we thought may make an impact in closing moments to becoming one of the first names on the team sheet. He found a home here. It was a perfect storm – the right environment, the right group of players at the right time. He really made the most of his surroundings and became immensely passionate about playing for us. You could see that in his performances. The rest of the our squad can take pride in the part they have played, because culturally – it was perfect for Ez.”
“The lad is a killer in front of goal. He smells weakness in opposition back lines and is cold in exposing it. The most impressive part of his make up though is that he has a willingness to learn and implement. Many won’t be aware of his footballing journey, but I can assure you it’s been measured and calculated. A lot of his life decisions have led to this moment. We’re immensely proud of Ezio. On a very personal level, the charm in all of this is that it’s happened to a lad like him. He’s got a devil in him, but alongside that – he is courteous, enthusiastic but also has a warming shyness – but then in the right environment the kid just comes alive. We’re all looking forward to watching him fly.”
Chairman Jack Miller added “We’re very proud to have been able to play our part in Ezio’s development and provide a platform in which he could flourish. The club would like to place on record our thanks for the time that he spent with us and the energy and enthusiasm it was done with. I know in the relatively short time Ezio was with the club, he shared a strong bond with our loyal fanbase so I’m sure many will join us in looking forward to watching his rise and also wish him the very best of luck in his future endeavours.”
Our departing striker Ezio Touray had this to say…
“Following the news that I will be leaving, I wanted to place on record my appreciation and thanks to everyone associated with this special club for making me feel so welcome and loved since I arrived.”
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank all the coaching staff and people behind the scenes – a special mention to Dan who has been more than just a gaffer and secondly I would like to thank the fans. Since the moment I joined, I have had nothing but support and confidence given to me from you – I will go continue to support the club that has given me this platform to try and shine. A big thank you also to those at the club for the way they handled this opportunity, your support means a lot. I look forward to seeing Basingstoke continue to rise! See you soon.”
We look forward to welcoming Ezio back as a guest at the earliest opportunity.