“Experienced Championship defender” – Watford hold talks with 29-year-old: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Watford have held talks with free agent full back Cyrus Christie this summer, it has been revealed.

As per The Athletic, Watford are looking to bring in a home-grown option at right-wing-back this summer, and the Republic of Ireland international is a name that the club have held discussions with.

Christie is available on a free transfer following his release from Fulham at the end of the season.

With the above in mind, here, our writers at FLW offer their verdict on whether or not Christie would be a good addition for the Hornets.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

If Watford aren’t willing to spend some cash on a Kiko Femenia replacement, Cyrus Christie might not be the worst addition.

Available on a free, he is an experienced Championship defender, and in the right system, he is potentially a player that has the ability to get forward and provide an attacking threat.

He showed that with three goals and five assists in 23 outings for Russell Martin’s Swansea on loan last term.

Not the most glamorous of signings, nor the most exciting, Christie is a potentially shrewd addition, and, crucially, one that doesn’t cost them a fee.

Quiz: 20 statements about former Watford players – Are they true or false?

1 of 20

RICHARLISON IS CURRENTLY AN EVERTON PLAYER

TRUE FALSE

Toby Wilding

You do get the feeling that this could be a piece of business worth pursuing for Watford.

With Kiko Femenia on his way out of Vicarage Road, another option at right-back looks to be something of a priority for the Hornets right now.

Christie would fill that void with an option who has plenty of useful experience at this level, and who showed during his loan spell with Swansea last season, that he is still more than capable of making an impact in the Championship.

That could make him a useful asset for Rob Edwards’ side, while his availability on a free transfer means this does look like making financial sense as well, meaning it feels as though this is a deal that Watford should be given plenty of consideration to

George Dagless

It’s potentially a decent enough option.

Watford obviously need a player in that position and perhaps Christie is the sort of option that can come in and do a solid job and add cover and depth in the squad.

He knows the Championship very well having spent a lot of his career playing at this level and he also knows what it is like to play for a big club like Watford where expectation is going to be higher this year than at most clubs in the division.

He’s probably not quite the player he was anymore, but I think as a low-cost solution he is a decent enough proposal.