Marats Gaļajevs, a 17-year-old Latvian talent, has been awarded a scholarship at Watford FC’s Academy, securing his position at the club until the summer of 2026.
Originally joining Watford in 2016, Gaļajevs will continue his development under the guidance of the club’s experienced staff, including Academy Director Richard Johnson and U18 Head Coach Matt Bevans.
Gaļajevs, a left midfielder, has already represented Latvia U19 in international competitions, earning three caps. His performances with the national team include matches in the UEFA EURO U19 Championship Qualifiers. In these qualifiers, Gaļajevs started all three of Latvia’s group matches. He played the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw against North Macedonia U19, contributed to a 2–0 win over Slovakia U19, and featured for 63 minutes in a narrow 2–3 loss to Luxembourg U19.
In the 2024/25 season, Gaļajevs has made his debut in the FA Youth Cup, making a brief 8-minute appearance in Watford’s 2–1 victory over Oxford United U18 in the third round.