Watford FC transfer stance set for award-winning star - it would have to be a "crazy" offer to sell | OneFootball

Watford have set their stance on Othmane Maamma ahead of the January window

Watford’s assistant to the sporting director Valon Behrami has claimed it will have to take a crazy offer to convince the club to cash in on Othmane Maamma in the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old joined the Hornets in the summer from French club Montpellier, and he has started to impress in recent performances after his showings for Morocco at the Under-20's FIFA World Cup - where he won the Golden Ball trophy.

Young winger Maamma has contributed two goals and one assist from nine appearances from the first 22 games of the Championship season.

Maamma scored his first goal in a 2-1 loss to Birmingham City earlier this month, and he followed that up with another strike and assist in their 2-2 draw away to Wrexham on the 13th.

It was reported in November that Scottish giants Celtic are already casting their eye on the youngster following his promising start to life at Vicarage Road, but they may not be able to offer what the Hornets want for their star man.

Watford FC set firm Othmane Maamma transfer stance ahead of the January window

Former Watford midfielder Behrami - now supporting sporting director Richard Ainsley - has claimed that Watford have no plans to sell Maamma in the upcoming January transfer window unless a really crazy offer were to arrive that is too good to turn down.

He believes the player is now in need of support, as his performances in recent weeks will only see the pressure on him grow, with expectations rising on what he can achieve with the Hornets.

"No, I don't expect that [a sale], for sure,” said Behrami, via the Watford Observer.

"We are not used to selling in the January market.

“Of course if it's something crazy it would be a different kind of evaluation, but it's important for us to keep a player like Maamma.

"Now comes the difficult part for him because the expectations are higher game by game.

“That's something we need to pay attention to and that's the only priority that we are thinking about with him.

"When expectations are higher, the pressure is higher.

“We are here to support him through this process."

Watford are currently 10th in the Championship table under Javi Gracia, with a 1-0 win over Stoke City last weekend moving them into the top half of the table.

The Hornets are three points away from the play-off places as the halfway mark of the campaign approaches.

Gracia was re-appointed as manager in October for his second stint in Hertfordshire, and he has overseen five wins from 13 games so far.

Next up for Watford is a trip to face Leicester City on 26 December in a 3pm kick-off at the King Power Stadium.

Othmane Maamma is proving a smashing signing for Watford - he could be a future star

Watford paid a reported six-figure fee to sign Maamma in the summer, and that is proving a fantastic signing already based on his recent performances.

Holding onto their young talent could be the key to bringing the club forward again after a difficult last couple of seasons.

Maamma has been linked with Celtic, but it should have to take a significant offer to convince the Hornets to cash in so soon after signing him, and it’s unlikely the Premiership side will be capable of that.

The recruitment of younger players has been impressive at Watford, with the likes of Rocco Vata also doing well prior to a serious hamstring injury, so this is a positive step forward - they will also not sell for anything lower than what they deem to be acceptable, and in Maamma's case, that's likely to be an eight-figure sum.