Watford Opinion: Hornets should look at Marcus Tavernier as a good long-term investment

According to the Daily Mail, Watford have been credited with an interest in Middlesbrough winger Marcus Tavernier, with reports claiming that the 20-year-old is keen to complete a move to the Premier League this summer.

The Daily Mail also understands that Watford are looking to bolster their homegrown options, and with the likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra attracting interest from AC Milan and Torino respectively, the Hornets have set their sights on the England U-20 international as a potential target for the summer.

Tavernier is currently representing England-20 in the Toulon Tournament after struggling for regular minutes in the Championship under former Boro manager Tony Pulis. The youngster started only a couple of games for the Teessiders in the Championship this past season but registered a total of 20 league appearances, with 18 of those being cameos from the bench.

The 20-year-old, however, managed to impress despite his lack of playtime, accumulating 3 goals and an assist, as Boro finished 7th in the Championship and narrowly missed out on the final promotion playoff spot.

Tavernier is highly-rated at the Riverside Stadium, and with Boro under pressure to trim their wage bill after missing out on promotion, the youngster might get his desired move to the top-flight this summer.

Born in Leeds, Tavernier played for Newcastle United earlier in his career before joining Middlesbrough’s academy at the U-14 level back in 2013. The youngster rose through the youth ranks quickly and made his senior professional debut in the EFL Cup in the 2017-18 season before making his Championship bow in November 2017.

Tavernier was loaned out to League One outfit MK Dons for the second half of the 2017-18 season but he failed to score a single goal and returned to Teesside ahead of the 2018-19 campaign. However, he showed strong signs of promise this past season and his talent and potential haven’t eluded the eyes of the Premier League clubs.

Predominantly a left-footed wide player, Tavernier’s prefers playing as a conventional winger on the left but he is also very much capable of filling in an inverted role on the right.

Noted for his blistering pace, quick acceleration, dribbling ability and balance, the youngster is also quite slick with his passing in and around the penalty area and he seemingly has all the raw attributes to make a big impact in the Premier League in the years to come.

To put things into perspective, Watford could have a gem on their hands if they manage to beat off competition for the highly-rated England U-20 international this summer. Tavernier has been tipped for great things and it is easy to see that the Hornets would do themselves a world of good by bringing him to Vicarage Road.

Watford’s challenge for a Europa League qualification spot faded away towards the end of the campaign, with lack of squad depth playing a major role in their demise. Watford, under the able stewardship of Javi Gracia, looked like a well-oiled engine for large quarters of this past season but it is pretty clear that they need more depth in their wide options.

The likes of Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra played on the right and left of Gracia’s preferred 4-2-2-2 system, with Deulofeu and Troy Deeney shouldering the goalscoring duties up front.

However, Ken Sema and Isaac Success didn’t do enough when called into action from the bench and someone like Tavernier, though still very young and inexperienced at the highest level, could add that X-factor to the attack.

Agreed, he still needs a lot of time to work on the rough edges in his game and it is unlikely that he would play a big part next season, but Watford should look at him as a good long-term investment.

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Building a strong core of homegrown starlets could prove to be pivotal to Watford’s success in the years to come and the acquisition of Marcus Tavernier would definitely be a step in the right direction as far as the club’s long-term plans are concerned.