Who is Filip Stuparevic? All you need to know about Watford’s new signing
Watford have had a dream start to their 2017/18 season. Four wins out of four have placed them on the third spot in the table, behind Liverpool and Chelsea, based on goal difference. Ever since their promotion to the Premier League in 2015, the Hornets have been one of the most consistent teams in the top-flight division.
The secret behind their success is the club’s amazing scouting network and recruitment policy. It seems that they have hit gold again as they have agreed on a fee of around £2million for talented youngster Filip Stuparevic. (Mirror)
The Serb was wanted by some of the elite clubs in Europe, namely Juventus and Valencia, but he chose Watford over those fancy names.
Background
Stuparevic is an 18-year-old Serbian striker, who plays for Voždovac in the Serbian SuperLiga. He came through Belgrade-based FK Rad’s academy before signing a three-year deal with Voždovac in 2016. The 18-year-old made his senior debut for the club in a 0-0 draw with Spartak Subotica, however, the match was awarded to the opponents due to his unpermitted appearance in the 88th minute. This decision was made because Voždovac fielded a player below the age of 16 which was against the rules of the league.
Since then, Stuparevic has gone on to play 27 legitimate games for the club and even scored his first senior goal this season. The Serb has been impressive for his national youth teams as well, especially for the U16s and U17s. Across the two age categories, Stuparevic has scored a total of 13 goals from 30 appearances. He has also featured twice for the U19 team and recently made his debut for the Serbian U21 squad.
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What the future holds
Stuparevic will arrive at Vicarage Road next January. The 18-year-old is a hot prospect for the future and will be involved with the U23s at first. As he settles down in the new environment, the Serb could be utilized to support current strikers Troy Deeney, Andre Gray and Isaac Success. He could look up to the likes of Richarlison, who had a great first season with the Hornets last time around.
