Watford have completed the signing of Francisco Sierralta from Udinese
According to Hertfordshire Live, Watford have completed the signing of Chilean centre-back Francisco Sierralta from sister club Udinese on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old defender has become the fourth signing of the summer for the Hornets following the arrivals of Glenn Murray, Jeremy Ngakia and Stipe Perica, who also joined the ranks at Vicarage Road from Udinese.
Born in Santiago, Chile, Francisco Sierralta started his professional career with heavyweights Universidad Catolica in his homeland. However, he made only 4 senior appearances for his boyhood club before departing for Granada in Spain.
The towering central defender failed to make a single first-team appearance for Granada, returning to his homeland for loan spells at Universidad Catolica and Palestino. Sierralta eventually signed for Udinese in the summer of 2017 before being farmed out on loan to fellow Italian club Parma for the next two campaigns.
Sierralta made a handful of appearances for Parma in the Serie A during the 2018-19 season, having guided the club to promotion in the previous campaign. The 23-year-old spent the second half of the 2019-20 season on loan at Empoli in Serie B before joining Watford this summer.
The centre-back made his senior international debut for Chile back in 2018 and has two caps under his belt.
It has been a summer of transition for Watford, who are preparing for life back in the Championship following their relegation from the top-flight at the end of last season. Having already lost Abdoulaye Doucoure to Everton, the Hornets are expected to sanction a few more high-profile departures this summer to reduce their wage bill.
Watford released veteran centre-back Adrian Mariappa following the expiry of his contract earlier in the summer. That left new manager Vladimir Ivic with four senior central defenders in Craig Dawson, Craig Cathcart, Christian Kabasele, and Ben Wilmot, who impressed on loan at Swansea City in the Championship last term.
However, the Hornets have now opted to bring in a fifth centre-back with the acquisition of Francisco Sierralta, who is expected to provide some additional cover at the heart of the defence. There isn’t enough evidence to prove that Sierralta could be an upgrade on Watford’s existing centre-backs, considering that he has made just over 50 club career appearances.
However, with a 46-game league season ahead and taking into account the fixture congestion due to the delayed start, the fans can certainly hope that the Chilean will get a fair crack of the whip to prove his worth.
The fact that Sierralta is a full international for Chile should be enough to indicate that he’s good enough to make the grade in the Championship. Plus, his imposing 6ft 4in frame should make it easier for him to cope with the physicality of English football.
It will be interesting to see whether he manages to fend off competition from more established players like Cathcart, Kabasele and Dawson to nail down a regular starting role.
Having adequate depth in the squad has always been a crucial factor for any promotion-chasing side, especially in a league as gruelling as the Championship. That is exactly the reason why the arrival of Francisco Sierralta at Vicarage Road is good news for the Hornets.