“Not the most exciting or glamorous” – Watford weigh up January move, cut-price deal touted: 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 been linked with a move for Galatasaray defender Patrick van Aanholt.

That’s according to reports in Turkey, with Gazetevatan.com reporting that the Hornets and their Championship rivals Swansea City are interested in the left-back, who the Super Lig club are willing to let go cheaply.

So would he be a good signing for Watford? And do they need him?

We quizzed our FLW writers for their thoughts…

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

It’s not the most exciting or glamorous name, nor a transfer that looks towards the future given he is 32 years old.

However, I do believe on an 18-month deal, or something along those lines, this would be a good move for Watford to make.

The Hornets have absolutely no depth outside of young James Morris at left-back when Hassane Kamara is out, and in such instances, a huge tactical re-shuffle has been required. We’ve often seen Ken Sema deployed at left wing-back or left-back for example.

But Sema is better served in the attack, and as such, bringing in van Aanholt to come in and provide depth and competition at left-back would be a good move.

Ned Holmes

This could be a smart move from Watford on a short-term basis.

There’s no denying the depth that Slaven Bilic has in most areas but they look a little short at left-back beyond Hassane Kamara.

Ken Sema has filled in there admirably but is more effective further forward while x-year-old James Morris doesn’t quite look ready.

It seems as though Galatasaray are keen to get Patrick van Aanholt off their books and so a cut-price deal could work for the Hornets as they look to boost their promotion hopes.

We’ve seen what the Dutch defender is capable of in English football, both defensively and bombing down the left, so he should be a play that Bilic can rely on when Kamara is missing.

As a stopgap option, it makes sense.

Toby Wilding

This is something of an interesting one to consider for Watford.

On the one hand, they are short on options on the left-hand side of their defence, with Hassane Kamara – who is now only on loan from Udinese – their only natural option in that position.

That does suggest that they will need to strengthen that position, and Van Aanholt has the potential to be a useful option, given the vast Premier League experience he has.

However, he will be 33 by the early stages of next season, so may not be the most long-term option, and the fact he has featured in only seven of 13 league games Galatasaray have played this season may raise some concerns about his availability.

As a result, you get the feeling that Watford may also want to explore other options, before committing to a pursuit of this potential deal.