Why Watford should reignite their interest in playmaker Gaston Pereiro

According to a previous report from Watford Observer during the summer transfer window, Watford were interested in signing Uruguayan playmaker Gaston Pereiro from PSV Eindhoven.

However, a move to English football never really materialized for the attacking midfielder and the 24-year-old continued to ply his trade with the Dutch giants. 

Watford, of course, would then go on to complete a club-record deal for Senegalese winger Ismaila Sarr, while England international Danny Welbeck also made his move to Vicarage Road on a free transfer earlier in the summer. 

Boosted by such high-profile signings, the fans at Hertfordshire would have expected their team to push on and challenge for better things this term after a wonderful run to the final of the FA Cup last season but Watford’s nightmarish start to the campaign is likely to have left them bitterly disappointed. 

The Hornets are currently languishing bottom of the table after failing to win any of their first seven league games and suffering defeats on five occasions, with the ignominy of an 8-0 defeat against Man City clearly summing up their recent form. 

Quique Sanchez Flores has taken over the reins from Javi Gracia at the helm of affairs but even the managerial change hasn’t had much of a positive impact on the team’s woeful performances. It’s still early stages in a 38-game season but the possibility of relegation to the Championship is already looming large. 

Watford have shipped as many as 20 goals in their first seven league fixtures while scoring only 4, with the Hornets currently sharing the joint-worst scoring record with Newcastle United. 

To that end, defensive reinforcements should be a top priority for Sanchez Flores in January but the Spaniard should also be aware of his team’s struggles in front of goal.

Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra have teased the fans with flashes of brilliance but neither of them has been able to provide that much-needed creative spark on a consistent basis. 

In other words, Watford, as a team, have struggled to carve out too many clear-cut opportunities, despite boasting of star attackers likes Welbeck, Sarr, Pereyra and Deulofeu. 

To put things into perspective, Watford need to adopt some desperate measures in January to prevent a horror season and while there is still plenty of time to go before the transfer window reopens, they need to start exploring the possibility of going back in the market for Gaston Pereiro. 

The 24-year-old left-footed playmaker has hit great heights in the Eredivisie at PSV Eindhoven since his move from Uruguayan club Nacional back in 2015.

Pereiro has accumulated an envious tally of 47 goals and 21 assists in 148 appearances for the Dutch giants, hitting double digits in terms of goals in each of his four seasons and guiding the club to two domestic league titles. 

Gaston Pereiro, who currently has 4 goals in 9 senior international appearances for Uruguay, is a central attacking midfielder by trade who is noted for his innate ability to create space in the final third and torment the opposition with his guile, trickery and vision. 

Furthermore, the Uruguayan international is a powerful shooter from range and has the general nous to make intelligent runs into the box to score goals.

A sharp, agile and technically-gifted playmaker, Pereiro is also a recognised set-piece specialist and is more than capable of making an impact with his impressive all-round game. 

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Watford need a quality playmaker to get the best out of players like Pereyra, Deulofeu, Sarr and Welbeck and Pereiro could be the man who they have been crying out for in a bid to improve cohesiveness in the final third. 

That said, the Hornets should definitely consider a swoop for the 24-year-old Eredivisie star in January, as it might prove to be the difference between survival and relegation.