Watford are closing in on the signing of Celtic attacker Rocco Vata this summer who is set to undergo medical tests today with the Hertfordshire-based outfit, according to the latest reports.
Sky Sports have revealed that the Republic of Ireland youth international visited the Hornets’ training facilities last week and will now sign a four-year contract at Vicarage Road, having spent the last 12 years of his life with the Scottish giants. It is believed that the English club will have to pay out £237,000 in training compensation if the deal comes to fruition.
Watford have held a lengthy interest in the 19-year-old as it was reported back in March by The Athletic that the Championship side were keen to entice Vata away from Parkhead despite Celtic tabling a new three-year contract offer for the youngster. Nevertheless, Vata has rebuffed his side’s proposal and is set to join Tom Cleverley’s team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The teenager has been with Celtic since he was just seven years of age and finally made a breakthrough in the men’s team under now Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou during the 2022/23 season. As a result, it was reported that Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus were interested in acquiring his signature, but neither side officially made an approach.
Overall, Vata made six senior appearances for Celtic across the last two campaigns, but will now try his hand at breaking into the first-team at Watford in the Championship. It is unclear whether Vata will drop into the club’s youth setup or will have a place in the squad under Cleverley.
Writer’s View
The average age of Watford’s starting lineup dropped as low as 23.9 with Cleverley in charge following a 1-0 win over Birmingham City near the end of the season. This represented a clear change in policy from the club in the aftermath of their relegation from the Premier League back in 2022 in which the side had one of the oldest squads in the division.
Perhaps Vata sees this move as a quicker route to regular first-team football, and potentially to playing in England’s top tier, than at Celtic. Under the tutelage of an exciting, young coach like Cleverley, perhaps the Irishman will have a breakout season at Vicarage Road.
