Britt Assombalonga had not played in League One prior to this season and had struggled in his four outings for Watford at Championship level.

So when Peterborough United broke their transfer record to buy the striker for £1.2m plus additional clauses, it seemed like a good deal for the Hornets - especially with the youngster fifth in the pecking order at Vicarage Road.

However, that assessment was questioned immediately as Assombalonga scored eight goals in his first ten matches for The Posh and after a nine-game run without a goal, he has since made it 14 in 25 outings so far this season.

The fact summer signings Diego Fabbrini, an Italy international, and ex-Real Madrid B striker Javier Acuna have failed to live up to the early promise shown in pre-season, make the decision to sell Assombalonga even more questionable.

Assombalonga scored 16 goals in 49 outings for League Two side Southend United last season but a £1.2m fee for a largely untested, 20-year-old striker seemed like reasonable business in the summer. But the Watford Observer understands the Hornets also have a 50 per cent sell-on clause and first option to buy back the striker, so considering Peterborough's track record for developing players and selling them on in multi-million pound deals, it made the offer even more enticing.

The Golden Boys' hierarchy were asked about the decision to sell Assombalonga at Monday night's fans' forum at Vicarage Road.

Head coach Gianfranco Zola explained: "At the beginning of the season when we had to make that decision, it was a tough one because we know the qualities of Britt but in that moment the situation was different because we had a lot strikers and we didn't want to keep Britt and not play him. We wanted him to play and it was a good opportunity for the club in terms of economical reasons.

"I think the club believed it was the right thing to do."

Technical director Gian Luca Nani added: "He had never played in League One before the start of the season and at that time we didn't see him as being one of our [top four] strikers. He had a great chance to play regularly.

"They only wanted to buy him, they made a great offer to us and the player and at that time it was a great deal for everybody."

Time will ultimately tell whether it was a good deal or not. But at present, what do you think? Take part in our ballot below.

Assombalonga had a unique route into professional football, read about it here.