Hmm, strange. I never even heard of that interview. Must have missed it with the miserable October that we had.
Another point that I'd like to note is that pre contracts with clubs in other leagues are generally fine with me. The main sticking point with Watt, and to a lesser extent Dec, was that the contract was signed to a direct rival in the same league. It really puts both the club and player into an awkward position for the reminder of the contract.