Aymen Abdennour Will Be A Great Signing For Watford And Here’s Why
According to reports from Sky Sports, Premier League club Watford are planning a move for Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour. The report claims that the Hornets are offering the La Liga club £1.8 million as a loan fee, with an option to buy him for £7million.
The 27-year old is reportedly looking for an exit after having played sparingly over the last season for Los Che and Watford new manager Marco Silva is keen on bringing him to the Vicarage Road in the summer.
The Hornets have been quite active in the transfer market and have made five signings in the summer in the form of Will Hughes, Nathaniel Chalobah, Tom Cleverley, Kiko Femenia and goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann. But the former Hull City boss remains intent on adding a new centre-back to the ranks, following the club’s struggles under Walter Mazzarri last season.
Watford have a number of options at the back, in the form of Miguel Britos, Sebastian Prodl, Younes Kaboul, Christian Kabasele and Craig Cathcart. However, none of the players were convincing enough last season as the club conceded a total of 68 goals in the Premier League, which was the 4th worst record in the competition.
Of all the available defenders, only Kabasele and Cathcart are under 30 and the likes of Kaboul and Prodl are injury prone as well, making the need for adding a fresh face in the defensive line-up of paramount importance.
Abdennour will be the perfect fit for the club. He may have only played 14 times for Valencia last season, having fallen behind Ezequiel Garay and Eliaquim Mangala in the ranks at the Mestalla. However, he still remains a quality option with loads of experience behind him.
Abdennour has over 100 Ligue1 appearances with the likes of Toulouse and Monaco and has also been capped 57 times by the Tunisian national team already. The 27-year old possesses all the traits necessary in order to become a hit in the English game. A little under 6ft 2in, he is extremely strong in the air and has a strong physique, which he uses well to dominate the forwards.
A tenacious, no-nonsense tackler, Abdennour also possesses a decent turn of pace as well and is also a very good reader of the game. A leader on the pitch, he is someone who is always alert and spurs his teammates to stay on their toes and be organized at the back.
At 27, the Tunisian international is at the right age as he is entering the best years of his career. And if Watford manage to sign him at the fee that has been reported by Sky Sports, he will definitely be a steal for the Hornets.