Watford set to sign Serie A defender, he’s already training with the club after veteran defender exit amid Hull City transfer link
Watford are set to sign centre-back Antonio Tikvic from Serie A side Udinese, a report from the Watford Observer has said.
Watford are gearing up for another season of Championship football, this time under the lead of Tom Cleverley. The former midfielder has landed the manager’s job after a successful caretaker stint towards the end of last season.
He now leads his first transfer window as a boss and given the need for improvement, it will need to be a fruitful few months.
Numerous players have been linked and now, it seems a breakthrough awaits.
The Watford Observer reports that centre-back Antonio Tikvic is set to join the Championship club, arriving from Serie A side Udinese. The Italians are of course also owned by the Pozzo family.
In fact, the report states Tikvic has been training with Watford this week. All that remains is for the deal to be publicly confirmed as the Croatian defender arrives.
Barely a transfer window goes by without Watford signing from Udinese, or vice versa.
The Pozzo family have put both clubs to use on plenty of occasions before to help them get players under their ownership. Tikvic looks to be the latest to switch between the two clubs, opening the door to a new challenge for the defender.
It will be hoped a switch from the Serie A to the Championship gives him more chances. He played only two times for Udinese last season, coming off the bench in a league game versus Fiorentina and starting a cup tie against Cagliari.
Tikvic will likely be battling with fellow left-footed centre-back Wesley Hoedt for a starting spot. He’ll offer solid cover and competition in that spot, adding further depth to Cleverley’s backline.
There are bound to be departures as Cleverley embarks on his first transfer window at the helm, but there’s not many glaring areas that desperately need bolstering at this early stage in the summer.
Cover and competition is needed in goal with only Daniel Bachmann contracted to the Hornets. At the back, Tikvic will offer welcome cover but perhaps another option will be targeted at left-back.
An exit for Ismael Kone may well put another midfielder on the radar but there are existing options there too.
Cleverley will be sure to assess his squad carefully and line up plenty of targets but the squad is already fairly well-stocked looking ahead to the 2024/25 season.
