Watford are in contention to sign Portsmouth’s impressive centre back Matt Clarke. The 21-year-old had an impressive season with the Pompey and featured in every encounter for them. After a season like that, clubs from the Championship and Premier League are vying for his signature.
The Hornets started their season strongly but they slowly faded away as the season progressed. They were expected to finish in the top half of the table but after their survival was pretty much ensured, they took their foot off the gas and scrambled through in their last few games.
The likes of Sebastian Prodl, Craig Cathcart and Christian Kabasele have been inconsistent and Javi Garcia might be looking to bring in some competition for the centre-back spot. Experienced heads like Younes Kaboul and Miguel Britos have missed a good part of the season due to injuries and their contract are soon going to be completed. The signing of Clarke will be a long-term option for Javi Garcia and he has shown enough potential which can make him successful at the top level.
However, Portsmouth chairman Matt Caitlin recently said they are not likely to sell him in the upcoming transfer window. He was quoted as saying,’”Kenny Jackett (Portsmouth manager) wants to build a team around Matt Clarke. We’re not under pressure to sell, it’s very much a case of keeping hold of our prize assets unless of course there’s an offer the player and the club can’t turn down.”
He further added, “It would have to some sort of astronomical offer that I just can’t imagine coming. You can never say never of course, but we’re desperate to keep hold of our best players..’’
So it might very well happen that Watford might have to pay astronomical figures to land their target as Pompey are keen on holding on to him. This is not the first time that the Hornets are looking to sign talents from lower divisions. They recently completed the signing of Stevenage defender Ben Wilmot. We have often seen certain gems being discovered from the lower division and Watford will be hoping that it just turns out like that with these signings.
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It seems that there is a clear transfer strategy where they are picking up players from the lower divisions. Only time will tell whether these transfers will pay off for Javi Garcia, as he looks to improve his current squad further for the upcoming season.
