“Would be missed” - Watford claim made amid Wesley Hoedt updates | OneFootball

Trabzonspor are interested in signing Watford defender Wesley Hoedt.

Highlights

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…

Watford have been told they must reinvest any money from Wesley Hoedt’s sale, as Trabzonspor push to sign the centre-back following his impressive 18 months at Vicarage Road.

It has been reported the Turkish outfit are keen on the 30-year-old, and with Hoedt having entered the final 12 months of his contract with the Hornets, the Championship side know they may have to cash in, or they risk losing him on a free.

Watford’s Wesley Hoedt transfer stance is understandable

And, speaking to FLW, fan pundit Justin admitted keeping Hoedt is going to be an uphill task considering Trabzonspor can offer European football, but he insisted any funds brought in must be given to Tom Cleverley and the recruitment team to strengthen the squad moving forward.

“When it comes to Hoedt, he is very much liked at Watford, winning Player of the Year last season.

“I think he would be missed if he moves on, but if he is offered European football elsewhere when you’re at the peak of your career, why wouldn’t you take that?

“The sort of fee I’ve seen mentioned is the £2-3m mark, which I personally think is a little bit low, but Hoedt would have our best wishes moving forward in his career because he’s been a good servant to the club since he has been with us.

“The money we receive from any player sales, including Hoedt, must be reinvested back into the squad. We’re seeing a very slow window at Watford, with lots going out and the ones that are coming in are not good investments, such as Sissoko.

“So, it would be nice to see the money we’ve brought in through player sales over the past few years being reinvested back onto the pitch.”

Wesley Hoedt has been excellent for Watford

Purely from a football perspective, this would be a big setback for Watford, and Cleverley’s claim that the Dutchman had a ‘knock’ which prevented him from playing the weekend friendly at Gillingham hasn’t cooled talk he could be on the move.

So, an exit does seem likely, and the Hornets would be losing a player who is a good old-school defender, as well as someone who is capable in possession.

But, you can understand why the board would want to sell. This is the last chance to get a fee for Hoedt, and if he doesn’t sign a new deal, then he could walk away for nothing in 12 months' time, and he could even agree a pre-contract with clubs outside England in January.

Therefore, you do have some sympathy for Watford, and, as outlined above, the player is surely going to be open to moving to Turkey, where he will join a big club who are in the Europa League.

Watford’s summer transfer plans

Yet, as Justin explains, there have already been a few sales at Watford, with Ismael Kone joining Marseille in a big-money deal. It seems Yaser Asprilla will also leave, which will bring in an even bigger fee, and so far the incomings have been underwhelming.

Even though the season is still weeks away, fans are rightly concerned about what’s happening, and Hoedt’s departure will just add to the worry.

We knew Watford would need to raise funds this summer, but they still need to add quality if they want to compete for a play-off place, which has to be the aim, so all eyes are on the board as we wait to see how this plays out.