Rocco Vata signs: Watford should secure these 2 shrewd transfers before August 30th | OneFootball

Two shrewd signings Watford should look to make this summer

Watford face a busy summer of transfer activity as they aim to build a team capable of fighting for promotion next season.

Tom Cleverley has been appointed as manager on a permanent basis following a successful interim stint in charge.

The 34-year-old will be aiming to improve on the club’s disappointing 15th place finish in the previous campaign.

The summer window represents an opportunity to strengthen the Hornets’ first team squad, with a view to fighting for a top six finish in 2025.

This will be Watford’s third year back in the Championship, so their focus will be on battling for a return to the Premier League.

However, they will face stiff competition, with a number of teams eyeing at least a play-off place.

Here we look at two shrewd signings Watford should make this summer to improve their chances of earning a top six finish…

Rocco Vata

Rocco Vata’s future at Celtic is uncertain this summer due to the expiration of his contract.

The 19-year-old has earned a reputation as a really promising young talent coming through the Scottish giants’ academy system.

The youngster has already received international recognition at U21 level for Ireland, but he has struggled for game time in Brendan Rodgers’ side this season, making one league appearance (all stats from Fbref).

It has been reported that the Hornets are eyeing a move for the teenager this summer, but they face competition from the likes of Palermo.

While compensation will still be owed to Celtic due to his age, this would still be a relatively cheap signing to get over the line if they can convince him to move to Vicarage Road.

Vata would be another exciting young addition to this Watford squad, along with the likes of Ryan Andrews, and would add another option in attack.

The right-winger needs game time to develop, and Cleverley could be the manager to help him in that ambition, as the former midfielder will want to target youth with this team.

Vata might not be a fully-formed first team player yet, but his potential is quite exciting and his value could skyrocket within a few years if he makes a breakthrough into the Watford team.

This would be one for the future in a lot of ways, but it would still be a shrewd addition given the likely low cost of the deal.

Declan Frith

Declan Frith is another exciting young prospect that could be available for a relatively low sum this summer.

Watford have been linked with a move for the Valencia B player, with QPR also keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.

It is expected that Valencia are willing to agree to a nominal fee in order to allow him to pursue regular first team opportunities at a higher level, but a sizable sell-on clause will also need to be sanctioned as part of the deal.

The youngster is another young option that Watford should be looking to buy in order to build for the future.

He is ready for first team opportunities at a Championship level, and could become a very valuable asset in the next few years if he can develop his game.

The likely lower cost of completing a deal makes this a very enticing option, and again gives Cleverley more firepower in attack.

Frith excelled at underage level at Aston Villa before moving to the Spanish four tier, and a return to English football would make a lot of sense for all parties this summer.

With Yaser Asprilla’s future at the club uncertain, and Matheus Martins set to return to Udinese, this is an area of the squad Watford need to be paying attention to right now.