Watford are looking to bolster their defensive department before the January transfer window closes and are reportedly close to completing a loan deal for a player in Italy’s top-flight.
Following a victory at Loftus Road on Sunday afternoon against relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, the Hornets have found themselves just one point behind the final playoff place, which is currently occupied by a high-flying Coventry City.
Valerien Ismael’s side struggled for consistency in the first half of the campaign but now find themselves on the cusp of the top six. However, the side’s biggest issue this season has been their defensive record.
Watford are the joint-fifth-highest goalscorers in the Championship this season, having bagged 44 goals in 27 matches so far. Nevertheless, at the other end of the pitch, the former Premier League side have the 13th-worst defensive record in England’s second tier. Furthermore, no team in the top eight have conceded more goals than Ismael’s side this term.
As a result, Watford have been linked with new defenders this winter as the manager looks to add depth and quality to his backline. It was reported by The Athletic on Tuesday that the club were considering a loan move for Udinese defender Antonio Tikvic.
The Hornets have done many deals with the Italian outfit over the years under the ownership of Gino Pozzo given that his father also owns Udinese so it won’t surprise many supporters that another deal is being negotiated.
Journalist Di Marzio revealed that a loan deal for the 6 ft 4 centre-back is “close” to being completed as the 19-year-old has made merely two appearances for Udinese since joining the club during the summer. Nonetheless, Tikvic still boasts a market value of £4 million, as per the CIES Football Observatory.
https://twitter.com/DiMarzio/status/1746865667414929787
Writer’s View
It’s looking likely that Tikvic will be brought to Vicarage Road over the coming weeks. Since both Watford and Udinese are owned by the same family, there won’t be much negotiating necessary for this deal.
It will be interesting to see whether Ismael gives the young central defender any game-time upon arrival as this will be quite telling about whether or not the head coach ever wanted such an inexperienced player in his squad in the first place.
Deputy Head of Writing
