Watford set to capitalise on West Ham exit to add potential Wes Hoedt replacement | OneFootball

Angelo Ogbonna made nearly 250 appearances for the Hammers, but will now move to Hertfordshire.

Key Takeaways

Watford are set to announce the signing of 36-year-old Angelo Ogbonna, after the former West Ham United defender's contract expired in East London in June.

Ogbonna spent nine years with West Ham, after joining from Juventus, but will now play his football under Tom Cleverley at Watford, according to reports from the Watford Observer.

The move has come about quickly, with the Hornets looking to replace Wesley Hoedt who is expected to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab in the coming days.

Watford welcome Derby County to Vicarage Road on Saturday, but Ogbonna will not be able to play even if he is announced before the fixture, with the cut-off for registering players coming at 12pm on Friday.

Nevertheless, he could be a shrewd addition to Cleverley's side, who are embracing a spectacular start to the new Championship season, in which they have won both of their league fixtures and progressed in the Carabao Cup with a 5-0 win over MK Dons.

Ogbonna's experience is second to none

Ogbonna joins the long list of Premier League stalwarts to end their career in the second tier, and that experience will be key to Watford's season.

Many had written off the Hertfordshire-based club in pre-season, but their impressive opening results has given supporters new hope of a positive campaign.

This will be the lowest level that the 36-year-old has played at since the 2011/12 season when he donned the maroon of Torino in Serie B. However, that will play to his advantage, having come up against some of the greatest strikers in football throughout his career.

Yet, he will have to quickly adapt to the pace of the Championship, having played just 11 league games for West Ham in 2023/24, managing just 634 minutes in the Premier League.

This lack of recent action may lead to a slow introduction into the starting XI, but if Ogbonna can roll back the years, then Watford could have made the coup of the summer.

Hoedt's presence will be missed

Although the arrival of the Italian centre-back is a positive, there will be grievances over the sale of Hoedt, who has played a significant role in the Hornets' last two seasons.

The 30-year-old was a near-ever present for Watford in 2023/24, playing all but two Championship fixtures, while featuring in every minute of their cup journeys.

Nevertheless, his loss had been on the horizon throughout the summer, and a move to Trabzonspor in Turkey nearly materialised, but a knee injury sustained in a friendly against Wycombe Wanderers stalled the move.

But, as replacements go, Ogbonna is certainly not a bad one. Francisco Sierralta, Mattie Pollock and Ryan Porteous are currently operating in a three-man defence, a system that is currently proving successful for Watford.

Yet, an injury to any of the three could leave Cleverley with a huge selection headache, and the arrival of Ogbonna helps clear that up.