Watford FC may regret not taking £10m Burnley offer | OneFootball

19-year-old striker Mamadou Doumbia might struggle for regular minutes at Vicarage Road

Watford might be regretting turning down a significant bid from Burnley for striker Mamadou Doumbia this summer.

The Clarets saw a £10m offer rejected by the Hornets in July, according to The Watford Observer.

Eyebrows were perhaps raised given Doumbia's relatively modest output since joining Watford, with the striker managing just two goals in 22 appearances during the 24/25 season.

Doumbia scored four times at the U17 World Cup for Mali prior to joining the Hertfordshire club on a six-year deal from African side Black Stars FC.

Watford's £10m Mamadou Doumbia decision could come back to haunt them

What makes Watford's decision even more questionable now is the sheer depth of attacking options now available to head coach Paulo Pezzolano. One fan even took to social media to voice his opinion the deal, which suggests Doumbia is nowhere near ready for a Premier League move.

Aside from Doumbia, the Hornets have the likes of Kwadwo Baah, Rocco Vata, Nestory Irankunda and Luca Kjerrumgaard up-front and out wide. 20-year-old Portuguese striker Vivaldo Semedo has also been involved off the bench.

It's also worth noting that they're obviously still yet to see Giorgi Chakvetadze or Othmane Maamma play under Pezzolano, but the former is expected to be back this month, according to reports.

Irankunda, who arrived from Bayern Munich, has already made an incredible impact with two stunning free-kicks in back-to-back games - while Danish Kjerrumgaard has also scored twice in the opening four league games.

Doumbia started the opening league game against Charlton at left-wing, which they lost 1-0, and hasn't made the starting eleven since. Against the Addicks, the Malian didn't make a successful cross in five attempts - and his only effort at goal wasn't on target.

Mamadou Doumbia's path at Watford is difficult

As highlighted earlier, Watford's current attacking options makes it clear why Doumbia might struggle for regular minutes this season.

After losing his first two league games, Pezzolano has shown a preference for using wing-backs in his system, and has done so since winning against Queens Park Rangers.

Jeremy Ngakia and Marc Bola obviously make it difficult for more than two 'attackers' to start every game.

Despite his impressive youth international record - including finishing as second-highest goalscorer at the 2023 U17 AFCON - his transition to senior football has not been how many would have expected.

Even this season, after playing 72 minutes against Charlton on opening day, he's only managed 23 minutes off the bench on two occasions and not scored a single goal.

Considering Doumbia is the slightly taller one of the two, Kjerrumgaard's early season form has seemingly established him as Pezzolano's preferred central striker.

This leaves Doumbia competing with the likes of Semedo, Vatta, Baah and possibly Maamma for minutes. When you factor in Chakvetadze's expected return from his injury, the Mali international faces an uphill battle for consistent playing time.

Africa Foot reported that Burnley had been following Doumbia for several months before submitting an offer, but if things carry on, his value is surely not able to hold up.

While Watford's decision to keep hold of Doumbia might be viewed as showing faith in the player's long-term potential, it raises questions about whether the club is the right place for him to develop.

There's perhaps a risk that due to having so many attacking options now available, the teenager won't be developing as fast as everyone thought.