“Extremely experienced” – Watford boss Rob Edwards speaks over signing of defender | OneFootball

Watford have signed another player this summer, with Mario Gaspar now making the move to Vicarage Road as confirmed by the club’s official website.

Ahead of the new season, the Hornets will be back playing in the Championship having been relegated from the Premier League. Despite the club changing managers during the last campaign, it wasn’t enough to stop them from dropping to the second tier.

Owner Gino Pozzo won’t want the side to spend too long in the second tier though and neither will new boss Rob Edwards, who joined the club from Forest Green Rovers. Wanting to prove himself further up the football pyramid, he will be keen to bag a Championship promotion.

Quiz: Can you remember the score the last time Watford played at these 26 stadiums?

1 of 26

1. Portman Road

1-0 loss 1-0 win 2-0 loss 2-0 win

Now, with the side desperate to ensure their squad is ready for the new campaign, they have added a fresh defender in Mario Gaspar.

However, speaking to the Watford Observer about the signing, Rob Edwards has revealed he is happy to bring the player to Vicarage Road. The manager also claimed that he was happy to have someone join the Hornets that he is delighted to bring in a player that’s played ‘at a top club in Europe.’

Gaspar joins the team from Villareal, a club he has been with since his career began. This move to Watford then marks the first time that the player will be with another team and outside of Spain.

He’s made a total of 337 appearances for the La Liga side during his time there and that experience and knowhow will no doubt help the club this season – and Rob Edwards agrees.

Speaking about the signing, he said: “He’s an extremely experienced player but he’s not an old player – he’s only 31. He’s been at a top club in Europe for years and played a huge amount of games, and now we have him he brings all that to us, and he will really help us.

“His leadership, his knowledge and his understanding of the game are all superb.”

The Verdict

Signing a player like Mario Gaspar to play in the Championship for them is a real statement of intent by Watford.

The defender played in nearly 350 games for Villareal and has never left the club – so to convince him to move to England is a real coup of a transfer for the Hornets. He has plenty of knowhow and experience and could probably do a job in the Premier League so the player will be a real shrewd addition to the squad.

With the squad that Rob Edwards has and is compiling, you would have to fancy Watford to be one of the favourites for promotion. As a relegated Premier League team that is a given but with an inexperienced Championship manager at the helm and with some players having departed Vicarage Road, it is not a guarantee that they will go back up to the Premier League.

Watford, and the signings Rob Edwards is making, though could certainly be up there come the end of the season.