Nottingham Forest agree transfer deal for Watford star | OneFootball

Watford have accepted Nottingham Forest’s £20m bid for talisman Emmanuel Dennis, according to an update from The Athletic journalist Adam Leventhal.

The 24-year-old has been the subject of Premier League interest for much of the summer, though it was previously unclear whether he would be leaving Vicarage Road with no club coming in to secure a deal before the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

As well as this, Everton and West Ham United had cooled their interest in the Nigerian, potentially consigning him to at least half a season of Championship football despite recording 10 goals and six assists in the top flight last term.

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However, the Reds have now moved with a £20m offer being reported by numerous outlets yesterday, though it was previously unclear whether the second-tier side were going to accept this offer after seeing Dennis become a vital first-teamer since his move to Hertfordshire last year.

An agreement has now been struck according to The Athletic’s Watford correspondent Leventhal with the “final negotiations” ongoing as Forest potentially look to finalise this deal in time for Sunday’s clash against West Ham.

It has also been revealed that personal terms are not expected to be a barrier in getting this agreement over the line, with the player previously reported to be keen on a move to the City Ground as he looks to play top-tier football once more.

The Verdict:

The 24-year-old should be an excellent asset for the Reds after contributing heavily in the final third for the Hornets last season – and deserves the opportunity to stay in the top tier.

He shouldn’t have a shortage of opportunities to get himself on the scoresheet either, especially with the likes of Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams, Harry Toffolo and Jesse Lingard all able to be dangerous.

This addition also provides some much-needed competition in the forward department and you feel they would have struggled without this extra man coming in, especially with Lewis Grabban leaving on the expiration of his contract.

From the Hornets’ point of view, they would have wanted to keep Joao Pedro, Ismaila Sarr and Dennis together as a formidable front three, a trio that would have given them a great chance of getting back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

However, with the player keen on a move and the club needing to adapt to the financial conditions of the second tier, it may have been unwise to knock back such a high bid with Rob Edwards’ side set to make a healthy profit on him.