Watford Opinion: Gaston Pereiro could transform the Hornets into a formidable attacking unit next term
According to Watford Observer, Hornets owner Gino Pozzo and Technical Director Filippo Giraldi have made contact with the agent of PSV Eindhoven midfielder Gaston Pereiro to inquire about the availability of the 24-year-old Uruguayan international this summer.
Watford Observer understands that Pereiro’s agent Paco Casal had offered his client to AC Milan earlier in the transfer window but the Hornets have now joined the race to sign him.
The same source claims that Pereiro has only one year remaining on his current contract at Eindhoven, meaning that the 24-year-old could be available for a reasonable price this summer, with reputed Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio suggesting that a price of around £18 million might be enough to complete a deal for the 24-year-old.
Pereiro enjoyed yet another successful campaign in the Netherlands with PSV and bagged 10 goals and 6 assists in 27 Eredivisie outings to help his team finish runners-up to Ajax. The 24-year-old Uruguayan, who is currently representing his nation at the Copa America, also featured prominently in his club’s UEFA Champions League campaign last year.
A youth product of Uruguayan club Nacional, Pereiro rose to prominence with his boyhood club and won the domestic title in the 2014-15 season before earning a move to Europe with Eindhoven in the summer of 2015.
The 24-year-old made an instant impact in the Eredivisie in his debut season and has progressed by leaps and bounds over the course of his four-year stint to establish himself as one of the most highly-rated playmakers in the league.
One of the key architects of PSV’s Eredivisie triumphs in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons, Pereiro has racked up an impressive 47 goals and 21 assists in 146 appearances for the Dutch heavyweights over the course of four full seasons. The 24-year-old is also a full-fledged international for Uruguay, having scored 4 goals in 9 senior international appearances for his nation.
To put things into perspective, Gaston Pereiro has carved out a massive reputation for himself in The Netherlands, and while his success in the Eredivisie hardly guarantees the same in the Premier League, Watford have every reason to look at him as a potential transfer target for the summer.
The 24-year-old has hit the 10-goal mark consistently over the past three campaigns, while also racking up assists for fun and his arrival at Vicarage Road could work wonders for the Hornets.
Watford showed a lot of promise in the Premier League under the stewardship of Javi Gracia this past season but, in the end, an 11th-place finish was all that the Hornets could manage.
A series of lacklustre results towards the end of the campaign saw them lose out to Wolves in the race for the Europa League qualification spot, while they certainly deserve a lot of credit for an incredible run to the finals of the FA Cup. All in all, the Hornets had a pretty good season last term and they need to build on the positives moving forward.
The likes of Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu were the key contributors with goals, while the likes of Roberto Pereyra and Andre Gray also chipped in with valuable contributions.
Pereyra started off the season with a bang but his influence somewhat waned towards the end of the campaign. Will Hughes showed glimpses of his brilliance but the former Derby County wonderkid wasn’t consistent enough to make a huge impact.
As far as depth in the squad is concerned, the likes of Isaac Success, Ken Sema and Tom Cleverly failed to make a significant impact. Cleverly struggled with injuries while Sema and Success reminded the fans that they still need to improve a lot if they are to make an impression in the Premier League.
Gaston Pereiro looks more like the real deal for Watford and the Uruguayan’s versatility to play in a No.10 role and also out wide on either flank should make him an exciting proposition for the Hornets.
Regarded as a highly creative player with incredible vision and remarkable speed of thought, Pereiro not only excels with his ability to cut inside and create chances but he is also more than capable of breaking the opposition’s lines with his slick and short passing.
Blessed with a powerful left foot, the Uruguayan is never afraid to call the goalkeeper into action from outside the box, whilst his ability from set-pieces make him a more complete playmaker.
Pereiro is someone who always wants to get involved in the build-up play and likes to get inside the box to score goals, which is the reason why he keeps racking up goals and assists consistently.
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Undoubtedly, Gaston Pereiro would be a tailor-made fit for Javi Gracia’s quick passing easy-on-the-eye build-up play and his creativity could possibly get more out of the likes of Deeney and Deulofeu up front.
The Hornets need to show more ambition in the transfer market and the 24-year-old’s arrival would hand them a massive boost in their pursuit of European football next season.
