Watford's Ismaila Sarr in action vs Leeds United
Aston Villa‘s proposed move for Watford winger Ismaila Sarr is now off, according to Sky Sports News.
The lowdown
It was reported at the weekend that Villa had agreed a deal with the Hornets for the Senegal winger, who can also play at centre-forward.
The Midlands outfit were due to pay as much as £25m if add-ons were triggered and, following Watford’s relegation earlier this year, the 24-year-old’s wish to return to the Premier League was seemingly about to be granted.
The latest
Journalist Tom White broke the news live on air on Sky Sports on Monday morning (via Football Daily). It’s apparently Villa who have walked away, rather than Watford pulling the plug on the deal.
The reporter stated: “In the last few seconds, this news has come into us. We’ve been talking about Ismaila Sarr’s move to Aston Villa from Watford. Well, it’s off.
“He’s not making that move, and we are told there was a host of stumbling blocks, which meant that Aston Villa have pulled out of the negotiations.”
White then went onto explain that negotiations proved tricky because it wasn’t just a straight one-way transfer, also revealed that Steven Gerrard was entirely convinced by the proposed move.
The Sky reporter outlined: “Sarr was due to have a medical in Birmingham today. But quite a few problems – in this deal, it included the possibility of Cameron Archer or Kortney Hause going on loan to Watford, so going in the other direction.
“That was one of the issues. Also, Sky Sports News has been told that Steven Gerrard and Villa’s recruitment team had reservations about the deal and they have decided to walk away.
“But the big news this morning is that Aston Villa’s move for Ismaila Sarr from Watford is off.”
The verdict
Gerrard may not regard this is a particularly big blow, given the concerns that he harboured, but Sarr could have been a good addition for Villa.
He has scored 10 goals and provided six assists across his two campaigns in the Premier League, a decent return when you consider that his team have been relegated both times.
Sarr has reminded suitors of his abilities already this season, scoring from the halfway line against West Brom in what Hornets manager Rob Edwards called ‘a moment of genius‘. Also, he’s a real warrior out of possession if his 19.97 pressures per 90 minutes (79th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s big leagues) are anything to go by.
Alas, Villa’s attention must now turn to filling the void at centre-back following Diego Carlos’ Achilles injury, which is expected to keep him out for at least six months.
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