Watford backed to secure “substantial” transfer fee for £32.5k-a-week star – he is “pushing for a move”.
This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features unique perspectives from our FLW Fan Pundits on the most recent breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more…
Watford will hope to compete for Championship promotion next season under new head coach Paulo Pezzolano, but they risk losing one of their key players before the end of the summer transfer window.
Watford finished 14th in the Championship last season, following a poor second half of the campaign that saw their play-off push fail, and they decided to part ways with popular head coach Tom Cleverley in May, replacing him with Pezzolano.
Pezzolano’s arrival looks to have signalled the beginning of owner Gino Pozzo getting more engaged with the Hornets, and in a statement issued after Cleverley’s departure, the Italian claimed that the team would do “everything in our power to keep those more experienced players in our squad to help the younger members in their development”.
However, according to the Watford Observer, midfielder Imran Louza has informed the club that he wishes to leave Vicarage Road this summer, while The Sun reports that the 26-year-old has submitted a transfer request following a disagreement with Pezzolano.
| Imran Louza’s stats for Watford in all comps last season (as per Transfermarkt) | |
| Appearances | 37 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 5 |
Louza joined Watford from Nantes in the summer of 2021 for a fee of £9 million, and it appeared that his days at the club were numbered after spending the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Lorient, but he starred after being brought back into the fold last season by Cleverley, winning Player of the Season honours.
Transfer claim made for Watford star Imran Louza
When asked about his thoughts on reports that Louza is looking for a move, FLW’s Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie said he would be disappointed to lose the midfielder, but while he was unsure about the exact transfer fee the Hornets could command, he predicted that they would receive a significant sum for their wantaway star.
“If you wind the clocks back a season to this time last year, I think most fans wouldn’t have felt much of a sense of frustration at the thought of Imran Louza moving on,” Justin told the news outlet.
“However, he had a fantastic second half of last season and won Player of the Season. I believe the hope was that he would maintain his form into the next season and become one of our key players.
“I believe he has a contract with the club until 2028, so this suggests more of a player wanting for a move than the club looking to move him on. This would imply that he is the one lobbying for a transfer.
“I believe most Watford fans will be disappointed by this because the owners have stated that they would prefer to keep our most senior players in order to push for promotion next season, and Imran would be critical to that.” “In terms of a transfer fee, I have no notion what sum to assign him.
I suppose if he still has a few of seasons left on his contract, the price will be very high. “I wouldn’t like to put an exact figure on it because my estimates are usually wrong.”
Big Imran Louza windfall could help to ease Watford frustration
Following his remarkable success last season, the news that Louza is preparing to leave the club is a significant setback for Watford, and the fact that it is due to a disagreement with Pezzolano is concerning so early in the 42-year-old’s stint at Vicarage Road.
While Louza has not always been a steady performer for the Hornets, he was an increasingly significant figure last season and one of their key creative sparks, and he also donned the captain’s armband on several occasions, so he will surely be missed.
According to The Sun, Louza might now be worth up to £12 million, and if Watford can get a number in that range, they will be able to spend the money on a replacement for the Morocco international, even though finding a player of comparable ability will be difficult.
Alternatively, they might aim to disperse that money among the playing squad, allowing Pezzolano to really stamp his mark on his Watford team.
The central midfielder is also thought to make £32,500 per week at Vicarage Road (according to Capology), so removing him from the pay bill might give the club more freedom in the transfer market, or just allow them to save a considerable amount of money.
Read more on sportupdates.co.uk
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