'Keep running, keep learning' - Elliot Watt preparing for a new challenge

The result, an extensive message which was published on the club’s official website, perfectly illustrated an attitude and a maturity way beyond his 18 years.

In, ‘a letter to my 14-year-old self’, Watt wrote about how he had needed to knuckle down in the intervening four years. The importance of eating properly, of training properly. Of building his confidence, of aiming to become a leader.

‘So right now, Elliot,’ it finished. ‘Keep running. Keep learning.’

The letter drew a hugely positive response from supporters. ‘A wonderful read’ one fan wrote on Facebook. ‘Very inspirational,’ added another.

Even now, almost nine years on, it still gets a mention from time to time.

“I didn’t really work with Sean (O’Driscoll) in a football sense when he was at the academy, but with all his managerial and coaching experience, he was definitely a big influence,” says Watt. “It’s amazing how different coaches look at the game in different ways, and Sean was someone who was always asking me questions, prodding me, giving me certain situations and scenarios which I needed to come up with answers for.

“He was massive on player-led development, on us lads working things out for ourselves rather than needing to be told everything all the time.

“We had some conversations which got quite deep, going through everything I had been through to get to Wolves and to where I was, so he suggested I wrote that letter.

“He said it was a good idea as something to look back on in the future, as a reminder, and it still crops up from time to time.”

One of those times was actually very recently, when Watt received a text from his Dad.

After an impressive season in Scotland with Motherwell, he had just completed a move to Samsunspor, in the Turkish Super League, a fantastic opportunity which will see him, at 26, playing not just in a top division, but also in European competition.

“My Dad just referenced the ‘Keep running Ell’ line, which was mentioned in that letter,” Watt explains. “It’s something that we often look back on, it brings back memories, and is a reminder of how I have had to go out and build a career.”

And build a career he certainly has. Watt may not have played again for Wolves’ first team after that debut – a Carabao Cup victory against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough – but he has always remained highly well thought of at Molineux, not least given the way he has carried himself, and continued to develop, ever since.

He may ultimately have had to leave Wolves to play regularly, which is unsurprising given the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho were in front of him at that stage.

But many of the lessons learned during four years at Compton, two in the academy and two as a young professional, have most definitely remained with him.

And now? A journey of many steps has taken him to Holland for pre-season with Samsunspor, very much looking forward to a new adventure on and off the pitch, all starting for real with a home game against Goztepe in 11 days’ time.

“After a great year at Motherwell, I was fortunate to have a fair bit of interest in the summer, clubs in England and Scotland, and also the MLS (Major League Soccer in America),” Watt reveals. “I feel very lucky in that respect, and it meant I could sit down with my agent and my family and look at all the pros and cons of the different clubs.

“That is how I have always tried to make big decisions, and when it came to the interest from Samsunspor, straightaway I was really excited.

“First of all, the Turkish Super League is an amazing league, and some of the best players in the world go and play there.

“So many of the clubs are amazing as well – it’s like football is about more than just football – it means absolutely everything to the fans.

“To go to a new country, a completely different culture, to learn a new language and almost put myself in an uncomfortable situation – I think that is something that can really improve you.

“It’s such an amazing opportunity both from the football side and, off the pitch, a completely different way of living, and it’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

He admits there were ‘easier decisions’ out there with some of the clubs that were interested. But a healthy mix of a grounded but also fiercely ambitious personality has ensured Watt has always been willing to push boundaries and test himself, an approach which has stood him in good stead.

Born in Preston, and a Preston fan, he had a spell in Liverpool’s academy at a young age, before difficulties with travelling saw him move closer to home in Blackburn, where his older brother Jerome had previously been on the books.

On being told he wasn’t mobile enough to become a professional – a familiar refrain in his early years – Watt moved even closer to home, back to Preston, during which time he also secured a first opportunity to attend Scottish under-15 international camps, held in Leicestershire for those players based in England.

Qualifying for Scotland via family links, that was to prove the start of another promising journey all the way through to the under-21s, as well as a general progression and improvement in performance that further fired his ambition.

Agents in football can sometimes attract a negative reputation – as with all industries there are good and bad – but for Watt, it was at this point in his career that Gary MacGregor of 14 Sports Management played a pivotal role.

“I’d been around football all my life and my family were experienced particularly with Jerome’s situation where he had worked with both good and bad agents,” Watt recalls. “Gary reached out to me at this time, and I would say I probably owe him everything that has happened to me since.

“I enjoyed it at Preston, but their track record at that time of players moving through from the academy wasn’t the best, and Gary helped get me the opportunity to try out at Wolves.

“Wolves had just been taken over, were a category one academy, and who knows what might have happened had I not managed to join them.

“Gary is someone who has always had my best interests at heart and is someone who I know I can really trust and has gone above and beyond to help me.”

Heading through the doors of Wolves Academy proved pivotal in exposing Watt to new coaches, a better standard of team-mates and, on many occasions, especially after the arrival of Neves, Moutinho & Co, the opportunity to train with world-class talents.

Another particularly strong influence on Watt at the time was then head of development Scott Sellars, who would later become the club’s technical director.

“Coming to Wolves I was so excited about testing myself in that environment to see if I could not just cope, but also thrive,” Watt explains. “I had belief in my own ability, but needed the right guidance, and so many people played their part in delivering that.

“The biggest one I would remember would be Scott, who was the under-23s coach when I was there before then moving on to be head of academy and then bigger roles with the club.

“Scott was probably harsher on me than with other players, because he could see I had the ability, and he really helped me deal with the more physical aspects of the game.

“There were other times when my discipline wavered a bit, and I needed that guidance, and Scott had my best interests at heart and would be pushy with me which has helped me go on and have a career.

“On top of that, when I was in and around the under-23s, we had so many opportunities to train with the first team, and the environment under Nuno at that time was incredible.

“What I would call the core British lads – Conor Coady, John Ruddy and Barry Douglas – they were all incredible with us young players who were maybe a bit unsure or nervous about what to expect stepping up to train at that level.

“They helped make us feel more comfortable, and another one who people might not expect who did that was Ivan Cavaleiro.

“I will always remember ‘Cav’ being really good with me, talking to me and putting his arm around me at times, and as a young player, that makes such a difference.

“When you consider it all, Coads (Coady) was especially key for us young lads because he helped his team-mates so much in training and in games, constantly talking and just being a good person, supporting other players as much as he could.”

Having that support to adapt and acclimatise to the first team set-up was vital in guiding Watt through his senior debut, and what proved to be his only first team appearance for Wolves, at Hillsborough in August of 2018.

The likes of Coady, Ruddy, Matt Doherty, Adama Traore, Morgan Gibbs-White and Leo Bonatini were all in the starting line-up, as was Watt, who played the first hour alongside Romain Saiss in central midfield before being replaced by Pedro Goncalves.

Watt admits he was surprised to get the nod to start ahead of Goncalves, who has since gone on to excel with Sporting and secure senior international caps with Portugal. But he was determined to make the most of it.

“Nuno was great in supporting me before the game, as well as Rui (assistant Rui Pedro Silva), and the big advantage was that for the under-23s, under Rob Edwards, we played exactly the same system as the first team,” says Watt. “Getting the chance to play at such an historic stadium as Hillsborough, alongside some great players, and for Wolves to win the game, was a debut that I will never forget.”

There wasn’t to be another senior appearance for Wolves. Which, given the quality of midfielders already mentioned, and the team’s successive seventh-placed Premier League finishes and run to the Europa League quarter-finals, is perhaps no surprise.

Having been on loan with Carlisle during his spell at Molineux, Watt made a permanent switch to Bradford, then Salford, and captained Burton in League One before heading north of the border to St Johnstone, on loan, and Motherwell.

There have been many highlights. Including being named in the League Two and PFA teams of the season with Salford in 2022/23, and also recognised as the PFA League Two Fans’ Player of the Year in that same season.

What probably matters just as much, having been encouraged by his Dad to play as many games as he can whatever the level, is that Watt barely missed a match, and now, at 26, has already amassed nearly 300 career appearances.

The loan spell with St Johnstone offered a rare spell when Watt wasn’t first choice, but he since enjoyed that fantastic season with Motherwell, in which his six goals included the opener in the dramatic 3-2 defeat to Celtic in the penultimate game of the season.

“Ultimately I think I had to move on from Wolves, I really needed to go out and play and build up my experience, although I do sometimes wonder what might have been had I stayed at the club longer,” he says. “I suppose there are two ways to look back at it. The side where I am immensely grateful for getting that opportunity and the other where I wonder how far I could have gone.

“Maybe I could have made a few more first time appearances, or maybe I would have just found myself in League One or Two just a few years later than I did.

“I am just thankful that Wolves happened, that I was able to develop so much there as a player and as a person, that I had so much incredible support from fans, which helped me in going on to build a career elsewhere.

“I think at Bradford and Salford I rarely missed a game, and was captain towards the end at Salford just as I was at Burton.

“By the time I got to St Johnstone, that was the first time I really had a sustained spell of sitting on the bench, biding my time and feeling the frustration which any player has when they are not in the team.

“I decided to do something about it and started working with a nutritionist, Sam McKenzie, who had previously been with Team GB, and used the time when I wasn’t featuring to really knuckle down and get myself into amazing shape and headspace for the next opportunity.

“It was a difficult time in my career, but I wanted to turn it into a positive, and then getting a move to Motherwell proved perfect in helping me continue to improve and rediscover my belief.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Motherwell. I enjoyed the opportunity to play at a new level, and it’s the club where our two boys really started to understand football and loved going to the matches and all the chanting.

“So, it will always be a very special club for us all.”

Speaking of family, alongside the strong backing of different individuals from the world of football, the support network within the Watt network has also been pivotal.

Joining him in Turkey will be girlfriend Tia, and their two sons Rueben and Aubrey, with another new arrival due later in the year.

His parents Andrew and Debbie are always on hand with words of support, and so too four brothers – Jerome, Mick, Alex and Archie.

As well as helping two of their children navigate through the many challenges of football, Watt’s parents have also had to give additional support to 20-year-old Archie, who is autistic.

“I know every player probably says it, but I absolutely mean that there is no way I would have achieved what I have in football without my parents,” says Watt. “The commitment they have shown not just with me but also Jerome – they have pretty much been full on with football for over 32 years now since Jerome signed at Preston, an incredible level of commitment.

“Then of course they have two sons who aren’t remotely interested in football, and the care they have to give to Archie.

“We are so lucky to have the parents that we do and the family that we do.

“Jerome has always been a massive help to me in my career while Archie gives me a realism about life which goes way beyond football.

“Some of the smallest things in life that we take for granted, Archie struggles with on a day-to-day basis, and is a reminder about making sure we appreciate everything that we have.

“I also met my girlfriend when I was 11 and she was 13 so we have grown up together and now have two fantastic children, with another on the way.

“I am really fortunate to have such great people around me, and we are all looking forward to another exciting challenge ahead.”

All focus for Watt is on settling into the new life in Turkey, on and off the pitch, and performing at his highest level for Samsunspor.

Fixtures against the likes of Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe certainly whet the appetite.

Maybe an increased profile could help him, at some point, come into the conversations for the Scotland national team, albeit central midfield – with the likes of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson and Lennon Miller – is one of their strongest areas.

What is certainly clear, a decade on from first checking in with Wolves, is that Watt will leave no stone unturned in the effort to excel, as he aims to become another of the club’s Academy graduates to make his mark at the top level.

He most certainly has the character and personality off the pitch, to match the talent when he crosses that white line.

As a letter once said: ‘So right now Elliot, just keep running.

‘Keep running. Keep learning.’