Who is Ben Wilmot? All you need to know about Watford’s £1.5million signing

Watford had announced a deal for Ben Wilmot back in May, even before most clubs began indulging in their respective businesses for the summer. Prior to joining the Hornets, the youngster plied his trade with League Two outfit Stevenage.

A report from The Sun adds that Watford had stumped up a fee in the region of £1.5million, signing Wilmot on a whopping five-year deal. But who is the 18-year-old? And what prompted Watford to sign him up so rapidly?

With the new Premier League season almost upon us, let’s take a look at the teenager’s profile.

Background

Born in 1999 in Stevenage, England, Wilmot joined his home-town club’s academy and wasted no time in progressing through the ranks. It was only in last April that he signed his first professional contract with the club. Wilmot put in some eye-catching performances during Stevenage’s FA Youth Cup exploits in the 2016/17 season, thereby leading to the new contract. 

In October 2017, Wilmot made his first-team debut against MK Dons in an EFL Trophy match. Come January 2018, the teenager had already established himself as a first-team regular, eventually making 15 appearances in the whole of the previous term. It comes as no surprise that his steely performances attracted attention from Watford and the opportunity to play in the Premier League will certainly be huge.

As far as his international career is concerned, Wilmot had played twice for the England U19 squad.

What is his playing style?

A centre-back by trade, Wilmot is quite solid and boasts of a strong skill-set which includes dribbling and tackling with utmost ease. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the Premier League but as far as his work in the League Two is concerned, Wilmot can also be useful in counter-attacking situations.

He is great at shielding the ball with his trickery and is adept at winning aerial encounters. But at the tender age of 18, it is safe to suggest that the player is far from being a finished product. He must utilize his time at Watford to learn and develop further.

What does the future hold?

Wilmot is unlikely to be a part of the Watford first-team from the get-go. However, he certainly has the potential to break into Javi Gracia’s side sometime during the upcoming season. The Hornets were rather short of defensive options last season, making Wilmot a great option to have at the back.