Siddhant Lazar
Watford opinion: The Hornets must push to sign Ismaila Sarr
According to reports from English news outlet, Football.London, Watford have had a bid turned down for Ligue 1 star Ismaila Sarr. The Hornets have recently joined the race for the young forward and reports have indicated that their first bid has been rejected by Rennes.
The report further adds that with the club spending around €17million on the star, they expect any offer to be around the €35million mark. However, given Watford’s current state, the Hornets need someone like Ismaila Sarr on their books, especially if they want to do well next season.
The Hornets did manage a rather decent 11th place finish but things could have been even better for the club. Their end season collapse affected their standing on the league table, with the Hornets also struggling in the FA Cup finals.
Sure, they did play Manchester City in the final, but the Hornets did have a minuscule chance of beating the Premier League champions.
But that isn’t the collapse worth mentioning, with the Hornet’s falling well short of 7th place in the end, after competing alongside Wolves for the final Europa League spot in the Premier League.
And Watford had the advantage as they had the better fixture list. Yet, that failed to affect proceedings, with the Hornets going on a four-game winless run, including a loss to Wolves themselves. That changed their season and effectively dropped them out of contention by the final match-day.
That cannot happen again and with the addition of a new goalkeeper, a new centre-back and Ismaila Sarr, the club can prevent that. Sarr however, should be amongst their top targets, especially given the fact that neither Roberto Pereyra nor even Will Hughes have done well out wide.
Ken Sema and Isaac Success’ struggles to find a footing in the Premier League has seen the club struggle even more. It has forced manager Javi Gracia to use Hughes and Pereyra out wide.
The Stade Rennais man, on the other hand, is a flourishing winger and one that has done exceptionally well last season.
He finished with 13 goals and 11 assists to his name, which is more than what any Watford player can say that they had. Not only that, his tally includes 8 goals and 7 assists in the Ligue 1 alone, against sides like Marseille, LOSC Lille and even Olympique Lyon.
It shows Sarr’s innate ability to turn up at the biggest games and more than anything, that’s what the Hornets need from their wide attackers.
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Conclusion
Watford needs reinforcements next season, especially if the Hornets want to continue their rise in the Premier League. Adding someone like Ismaila Sarr is just the way to move forward and while Arsenal are also in the race, the Hornets have the added advantage of submitting the first bid.
Now, all they have to do is make sure is to match the bid required.
