"Not a priority" - Watford told to avoid Yasser Larouci transfer action | OneFootball

FLW's Watford fan pundit has told the club to avoid prioritising a permanent deal for the Troyes loanee.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Yasser Larouci appears set to see his Watford loan turned into a permanent transfer in the near future.

According to a recent report from Africa Foot, the 24-year-old is expected to commit his long-term future to the Hornets, with discussions over what a permanent deal would look like between the Championship side and his parent club Troyes already understood to be underway.

The Algerian international has been a mainstay in Tom Cleverley's starting XI this season, having started in 23 of the 33 Championship games he's appeared in so far this season (as of Watford's 35th game of the season v Stoke).

Watford are said to be in discussions with Larouci's agent, Tim Pole, with his initial loan deal known to have an option to buy should the club wish to exercise it.

"Steady" - Watford told not to prioritise permanent deal for Yasser Larouci

We asked our Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie: 'Reports suggest that Yasser Larouci's loan stint at Watford will be turned into a permanent one. Are you happy with this? Or do Watford need to upgrade at left-back/wing-back?'

Beattie said: "Yes, Larouci has his moments for Watford. Sometimes he looks as if he can be quite good, other times you wonder how he's getting in the team.

"But he's been, I would say, steady for us this season. Some of his crossing leaves a lot to be desired. He often fails to beat the first defender with the cross, and I think if he had that in his game he'd be a lot stronger as a player.

"I think, if he's going to be brought in permanently, then there needs to be someone putting pressure on his position. So we need someone else playing there as well, just to put pressure on him.

"I think if he got too comfortable, I don't think he'd be progressing as a player. So I think, his permanent signing is probably not a first priority, but if the board and the manager are happy to do it, then I guess we go along with that."

Larouci's defending has come in for heavy criticism at times this season

It's not uncommon for an attacking-minded full-back to showcase defensive shortcomings as a result of their forward-thinking nature, and this has been evident in Larouci's game this season too.

There have been times this term where his willingness to get forward has seen him get caught out of position on the turnover, and as such, he has come in for some criticism regarding his role in Watford's leaky defence.

As of 3 March, the Algerian ranks in the top 89.8 percentile of Championship left-backs for expected assists (xA) with 3.65, whilst his 21 shots rank him in the top 85.7 percentile, and his 31 chances created place him in the top 88.8 percentile - per FotMob.

However, his 17 tackles won rank him in the bottom 41.8 percentile of his second tier positional peers, whilst his 47.2 percent of duels won place him in the bottom 16.3 percentile, and the 11 times he's been dribbled past have him in the bottom 46.9 percentile respectively - per FotMob.

Therefore, whilst he may provide Watford with a strong attacking outlet, unless he addresses the defensive weaknesses in his game, Larouci may not be the wisest investment the club could make at that position in the near future.