If Watford beat Swansea to this transfer, Mario Gaspar will surely leave: Opinion | OneFootball

As Championship action gets back underway this weekend following the international break, there is an awful lot at stake for Watford.

With the club five points adrift of the Championship play-off places with just eight games remaining, head coach Chris Wilder will know that the club can't afford to drop many more points between now and the end of the season.

It certainly won't be easy this weekend, though, with a match up against bitter rivals Luton Town, who just happen to be ahead of the Hornets in the league, with the manager that the club sacked earlier this season.

A win could see real momentum build, whereas a defeat could have the exact opposite effect. It's a huge match.

Away from the pitch, though, it looks as though transfer business for the summer is already being worked on and lined up.

At least, that is the case if the most recent reports regarding the Hornets are to be believed.

Indeed, as per journalist Tom Bogert back in February, both Watford and fellow Championship side Swansea City are interested in signing American defender Bryan Reynolds this summer.

The 21-year-old plays for Italian giants AS Roma, but is currently on loan in the Belgian top flight, featuring often for KVC Westerlo.

So far this season, he has featured 26 times for the club in all competitions, scoring one goal and registering five assists.

This form has seen him re-called to the United States national side, and he recently played in their CONCACAF Nations League clash versus Grenada over the international break to earn his third cap for his country.

Interestingly, that call up and cap could now mean, along with his minutes for Westerlo, that he is eligible for a UK work permit this summer, making a switch to Vicarage Road more realistic.

This could, though, be bad news for one current Watford player.

Indeed, with Bryan Reynolds playing at right-back, his arrival in WD18 this summer would surely mean a departure for experienced Spanish full-back Mario Gaspar.

Gaspar arrived at Vicarage Road last summer as part of the deal that saw Kiko Femenia depart, and despite some recent performances showing a big improvement, on the whole, has underwhelmed.

Indeed, at this stage in his career, he does not seem able to perform a flying full-back role that clubs that dominate the ball in this division tend to need.

In theory, Jeremy Ngakia could of course be the man to depart, but, given Ngakia has performed far better, and is the much younger player at 22, we are inclined to suggest it would be the 31-year-old Spaniard to depart.

Indeed, things just haven't quite worked out for Gaspar at the club, and if Watford were to beat Swansea to the signing of Bryan Reynolds, it would surely signal the end for Mario Gaspar at Vicarage Road.