“Could turn out to be a bargain” – Watford set to seal six-figure transfer agreement: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Watford are set to complete the signing of Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous shortly.

That is as per BBC Sport, who report that the defender is now travelling to Hertfordshire after the Scottish club accepted a bid for the defender.

The bid is believed to be in the region of £450,000 as per their report, although the figure has been quoted as low as £200,000 elsewhere.

With those fees in mind, we asked three of our FLW writers what they thought of the deal, and whether or not Porteous could become a regular starter at Vicarage Road this season.

Josh Cole

This could turn out to be a bargain for Watford if Porteous is able to quickly adapt to life in the Championship.

A stand-out performer for Hibs this season, the defender has 3.7 clearances and has won 3.1 aerial duels per game in the Scottish Premiership.

Currently averaging an impressive average WhoScored match rating of 7.00 at this level, there is every chance that the defender will go on to thrive at Vicarage Road.

By producing some assured performances in the coming weeks, Porteous may be able to tie down a regular spot in Watford’s starting eleven.

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Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

At the quoted fees, this is potentially a fantastic bit of business by Watford.

The Hornets have beat very strong Championship competition to Porteous’ signature and for only a six figure fee, it’s a deal that involves very very little risk.

For the time being, Craig Cathcart and Francisco Sierralta are looking a solid, dependable combination at the heart of the defence for Watford.

However, outside of that, due to injuries, or just lack of numbers, Watford’s options are rather thin.

Indeed, then, were anything to happen to Cathcart or Sierralta, I’d expect Porteous to be given a run in the side.

If he did well in such a scenario, there’s every reason he could keep his place in the side.

The great thing about this deal from a Watford perspective is that Porteous is just 23, meaning even if he doesn’t become a starter right away, he has plenty of time to do so.

Toby Wilding

This does look like it could be a good deal for Watford to have completed.

It looks as though Porteous is coming in as something of a replacement for the departing William Troost-Ekong in the centre of their defence.

As a result, with Troot-Ekong’s move to Salernitana potentially set to be made permanent in the summer, the Hornets may not be losing out financially with what they spent on Porteous, so it could be a smart piece of business for them in that sense.

Indeed, you do also feel that Porteous has a chance to make a centre back spot his own at Vicarage Road, especially given that at 23-years-old, he has the potential to be a longer term asset for the club than their other options in that position, which could make this a sensible signing all round.