The arrival of Tom Cleverley won’t necessarily solve all problems Mazzarri is currently facing in the midfield. Although the arrival of such an experienced and seasoned midfielder definitely provides a much-needed cushion at the heart of midfield, Cleverley needs some quality alongside him. And the manager surely is aware of it, given by his latest move.
According to reports, the Watford are monitoring a move for Montpellier star Morgan Sanson this January and they are facing stiff competition from Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion. It won’t be easy, as both Bournemouth and Albion have grave problems in their midfield and given their league position, which is better than Watford, they will always have an upper hand.
The 22-year-old French international has been quite impressive in Ligue 1 this season attracting a lot of interest from England and other parts of Europe. French giants Marseille have also offered him a lucrative deal to stay in France as per reports.
Watford, however, are not new the midfielder as they are monitoring him for six months now. Montpellier will surely not be ready to part ways with one of their star players and that too in the mid-season. And they expect an offer in the region between £8.5m to £13m.
In his 19 appearances for the French club so far, this season, Sanson has scored three goals, creating 32 chances and seven assists. He has completed 546 passes with a pass accuracy of 80%, of which 73% were forward passes.
Coming up the ranks of FC Le Mans, Sanson started his career in their U19 team and move up to the first team two years, before finally making a move to Montpellier in 2013. A natural midfielder, his attacking mindset allows him to play on the wings at times and he could be really dangerous from his crosses.
His ability to dribble past opponents and ice-cool finishing have grabbed many eyeballs and he is equally aggressive in his defensive contributions, which makes him a perfect player for the English Premier League.
Despite starting quite brilliantly and spending most of the first half of the season in the top half of the table, contrary to everyone’s expectation, Watford have seen a slide in their form lately. Although they haven’t had easier fixtures in Manchester City and Tottenham, they have had disappointing displays against the likes of Crystal Palace and Stoke City.
The position is extremely tight in the mid-table and they have every chance to get back into the top half if they get a couple of good games. And Sanson could definitely help them achieve that.
