Why Watford need not push too hard for Dominic Iorfa
According to The Independent, Watford have been credited with an interest in Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Dominic Iorfa, with Vladimir Ivic keen to make further additions to his squad before next month’s deadline.
As per the report, the Hornets are in the market to bolster their centre-back options, although a potential move for Iorfa could depend on whether Watford end up selling one of their existing defenders.
The 25-year-old is understood to have been the subject of a bid from a Premier League club while one other Championship side is also in the race to sign the former Wolves man.
Profile
Dominic Iorfa started his footballing education at local club Southend United before joining Wolves’ youth system at the age of 15. He made his senior breakthrough for Wolves during the 2014-15 season following a successful loan spell at Shrewsbury Town in League One and went on to make 93 appearances for the Black County outfit in all competitions.
The 25-year-old slipped down the pecking order at Wolves following the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo and the club’s subsequent promotion to the Premier League. Iorfa joined Sheffield Wednesday back in January 2019 and has since established himself as a key player at the back for the Owls, scoring 5 times in 61 appearances.
The former England U-21 international was named Wednesday’s Player of the Year last season as Garry Monk’s side narrowly missed out on a spot in the Playoffs.
Watford already have enough cover at the back
With over 150 career appearances in the Championship under his belt, Dominic Iorfa presents a tried and tested option for any promotion-chasing side in the English second-tier. Plus, he is still relatively young at 25 and also boasts the versatility to slot into a right-back role, thus offering cover in multiple areas across the backline.
To that end, however, it is worth pointing out that Watford already have enough depth in their defensive options, especially at centre-back. The Hornets lost Adrian Mariappa on a free transfer following their relegation from the Premier League last season but Fransisco Sierralta has since arrived from Udinese to replace the veteran.
Furthermore, Watford have some very experienced central defenders in Craig Cathcart, Christian Kabasele, and Craig Dawson, with youngster Ben Wilmot also competing for a place in the ranks after impressing on loan at Swansea City last term.
Suffice to say, it wouldn’t make much sense for the Hornets to bring in another centre-back this summer, unless, of course, they are planning to sell one of their existing players in that department.
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Verdict
Dominic Iorfa remains a quality defender at the Championship level but he is not somebody that Watford need at the moment, considering that they have already got five senior players competing for places at the heart of the backline.
Having said that, Ivic might as well look to strengthen other areas of his squad as the Hornets bid to secure promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.
