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Watford simply cannot afford to let their 31-year-old veteran depart the club in the summer and must use him wisely – opinion

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Watford opinion: The Hornets shouldn’t sell Sebastian Prödl

Italian news outlet Calciomercato has reported that Watford are open to selling defender Sebastian Prödl in the summer. The 31-year-old has been a big part of the Watford team over the last few years but now it does look like he might be on his way out.

This could prove to be a small problem for the Hornets, especially given the state of their team. At the moment, manager Javi Gracia has Christian Kabasele, Craig Cathcart, Miguel Britos, Adrian Mariappa, Tommie Hoban and Prödl himself.

Only Cathcart has played regularly this season, making 30 appearances so far. Barring that, Kabasele has made 17, Britos has made 3, Mariappa has made 22 and Hoban hasn’t played at all.

This lack of consistency has affected Watford and while their front-men have pushed them forward, their defence has looked lacklustre.

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So far, the Hornets have conceded 47 goals, which at the moment is the most among the top ten sides in the Premier League. It’s only because of their front-line that the club have survived so far. Nobody has managed to either consistently play or impress for Javi Gracia this season.

That has plagued the team, which means that the club needs reinforcements. Adding new players next season will be key to any hopes that Watford have of repeating what they’ve done this season. It’s simply incredible but it cannot be repeated without new players.

However, to anchor those new players, the Hornets will need someone to do as much and that player should be Sebastian Prödl. A talented centre-back, the 31-year-old is at the right age to play regularly for Watford but yet isn’t doing as much.

It’s come as a shock to a lot of fans given just how big a part the centre-back played last season. He made 22 appearances in all competitions, proving to be a big part of the club with only injuries preventing him from playing more games.

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The season before that, Sebastian Prödl managed to play in 34 games in all competitions, missing just five Premier League games. He proved to be an immense part of the team, effectively becoming Watford’s rock at the back. It shows just why the club should look to keep Prödl in the near future.

It also shows exactly why they need to pair the 31-year-old with a young and talented centre-back.

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Conclusion

Watford need to sell a few stars this season but Sebastian Prödl really shouldn’t be among the list of outgoing stars in the summer window.  He has proven to be a consistent and reliable defender for the club, and that is a very rare ability.