When Salernitana secured a 2-2 draw and a point away at Roma on Monday, it meant they had secured their place in Serie A for another season – and earned Watford €400,000 in the process.
The Hornets had already pocketed a €500,000 loan fee when the Nigerian international defender made the switch to Italy in January.
However, the remaining money was only payable if I Granata avoided relegation – they were sitting just above the drop zone when Troost-Ekong arrived and had very recently been trounced 8-2 by Atalanta.
His debut was a 2-1 away win at Lecce but two games later he picked up a knee injury which ruled him out until mid-March.
However, Salernitana became the draw kings of Italian football, and the 2-2 at Roma was their ninth stalemate in their last 12 games.
Those results, coupled with home wins against Sassuolo and, ironically, the same Atalanta side that had put eight past them earlier in the season meant Monday’s draw at the Stadio Olimpico guaranteed their place in the top-flight.
They still have two league games left to play, and the Italian club have the option to purchase Troost-Ekong for a fee believed to be around €2m.
However, Salernitana have a time limit within which to exercise that right – if they don’t, then Troost-Ekong will return to Vicarage Road.
During the loan spell so far, the defender has made three starts and a further four appearances from the bench.
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