Why Watford should eye cut-price Joe Bennett swoop in January
Back in October, a report from Sky Sports (h/t Wales Online) had claimed that Watford were interested in signing Cardiff City star Joe Bennett before the domestic deadline. However, the left-back ended up staying put in South Wales after negotiations between the clubs failed to reach a positive conclusion.
Profile
Born in Rochdale, Joe Bennett rose through the youth ranks of Middlesbrough and made his senior debut in the Premier League back in the 2008-09 season. He established himself as a key player for the Teessiders following their relegation to the Championship, featuring 92 times in all competitions over four seasons.
Bennett earned a move back to the top-flight with Aston Villa in 2012 and made 25 appearances in the PL in his debut season at Villa Park. However, he only played in a bit-part role in the following campaigns, spending time on loan at Brighton, Bournemouth and Sheffield Wednesday.
The left-back joined Cardiff City in the Championship in 2016 and has been a regular fixture at the back for the Bluebirds over the past four years. Bennett helped the club secure promotion to the PL at the end of the 2017-18 season and was one of the few players to come away with some genuine credit as the Welsh outfit suffered relegation straight back down to the second-tier.
Bennett has amassed 159 appearances for Cardiff City in all competitions, scoring 4 goals and registering 11 assists.
Bennett would add more depth to the Hornets’ backline
Vladimir Ivic has successfully shoehorned Ken Sema into a left wing-back after failing to get deals over the line for any of his left-back targets in the summer. The Swedish international has been a regular fixture down the left for Watford in the Championship, contributing 4 with assists in 12 league appearances so far.
Kiko Femenia has also been utilised on the left-hand side of the pitch but the Spaniard has looked at his best when deployed in his natural right-sided role. With fixtures set to come thick and fast during the second half of the campaign, Watford should have a specialist left-back high on their agenda in January.
Putting things into context, Watford should make a renewed attempt to sign Joe Bennett during the mid-season trading period to add more depth and quality to their backline. The vastly-experienced Englishman ticks the box as a proven performer in the Championship, having amassed a mammoth 245 league appearances in the second tier.
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Verdict
It is a no-brainer that the inclusion of a seasoned campaigner like Joe Bennett in January would hand a significant boost to Watford’s chances of securing a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. The 30-year-old still has plenty to offer and with his contract at Cardiff set to expire next summer, the Hornets would be well within their rights to eye him up for a cut-price fee next month.
