According to Football London, AC Milan centre-back Mateo Musacchio is on shopping lists of Fulham and Watford. Both mid-table teams must look to bolster their options at the back when the transfer window opens in January.
The Hornets have been a long-time admirer of the Argentine international and Fulham were also interested in signing him in the summer but had a bid turned down by the San Siro giants. (h/t Football London)
Musacchio began his professional career with Argentine outfit River Plate and moved to the La Liga in 2009 with Villareal. After racking up 247 appearances for the Spanish club across all competitions, Musacchio joined AC Milan in 2017.
Although he struggled to establish himself as a regular starter in the 2017/18 season, he has been Milan’s first-choice centre-back this season and has made 7 appearances in the Serie A this season.
Along with Cardiff City and Wolves, Fulham earned promotion to the Premier League after an impressive season in the Championship last year. Manager Slavisa Jokanovic resorted to extensive transfer activities to bolster his squad ahead of the season and as a result, the Cottagers made headlines with the big signings of Jean Michael Seri, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andre Schurrle.
A lot was expected from the Cottagers after signing such high-profile players in the summer but they have failed to live up to the expectations so far. With 5 points from 8 eight games, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side currently sits 17th in the standings, just above the relegation zone.
Considering the levels of promise Fulham have shown, it is quite disheartening to watch them struggle like in the Premier League. To be honest, the Cottagers have looked brighter than many of the other mid-table teams but their main problem lies at the back.
Fulham currently have the worst defensive record in the Premier League and have shipped goals at an alarming rate, having conceded 21 goals with a goal difference of -12. This could come back to bite the Cottagers if the relegation battle goes down to the wire in the latter half of the season.
Watford, on the other hand, made a wonderful start to the season with four wins out of four but the Hornets just lost the plot in their last four games. Javi Gracia’s side hasn’t managed to win any of their last four games, ending up with a loss on three occasions. Watford were absolutely outplayed by Bournemouth last weekend as the Cherries registered an emphatic 4-0 victory after centre-back Christian Kabasele was sent off following a second bookable offence.
While Kabasele and Craig Cathcart have done a good job for the Hornets at the back, they do not have quality options in their reserves to cover for possible injuries and suspensions. On the contrary, Fulham have had a torrid time at the back and none of their central defenders – Calum Chambers, Denis Odoi, Maxime Le Marchand or Tim Ream – have put their hands up.
In fact, Fulham have been exposed far too much at the back and consequently, Jokanovic has been forced to field different combinations for every alternate game.
As things stand, both teams need a quality centre-back. And Musacchio, 28, is a ball-playing centre-back and his superior technical abilities allow him to carry the ball comfortably from the back. He also has a good range of passing and excels with his ball distribution abilities and can play vertical passes to set up attacks.
He is not the most physical centre-back and does not tend to dominate the opposition aerially. However, he overcomes his lack of physicality and aerial ability with his appreciable game-reading skills and sensible decision-making. Musacchio is blessed with good positional sense and is adept at cutting out the attacks with crucial interceptions. In fact, he has averaged 2.3 tackles, 1 interception and 3.9 clearances per game this season.
Suffice to say, he is a high-quality defensive beast and should be a perfect fit for both Fulham and Watford. However, the Cottagers should not leave any stone unturned in their efforts to land the Argentine centre-back since he has the ability to help them achieve a better defensive record.
