Sheffield United and AFC Bournemouth will have contrasting views on Watford FC transfer | OneFootball

Dan Jebbison's loan move to Watford has been one to forget.

Highly-rated Sheffield United forward, Daniel Jebbison, joined Premier League side AFC Bournemouth in the summer following the Blades' relegation to the Championship.

The Cherries opted to take a punt on the young striker, as his contract at Bramall Lane was up. They also reportedly had to pay £1.5m in compensation to secure his services.

Since then, the Bournemouth man has been sent out on loan to Watford in search of regular minutes. Sadly, Jebbison has struggled to make an impact for the Hornets, which has left everyone involved rather disappointed with his stint so far.

The youngster spent his youth career with ANB Futbol in Canada, where he developed his game between the ages of six and 14. He then moved to England with Sheffield United in 2018. Despite being born in Ontario, the forward had declared himself as an English youth international, which meant he was going to play in his home country for the first time in his career.

He made his professional debut in 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace. He then grabbed his first senior goal for the club, becoming the youngster ever player to score on their full debut in the Premier League. Five days later, Jebbison signed his first professional contract.

To do all of this before even putting pen to paper on a pro deal gathered some serious hype around the Canadian-born striker. This secured him a loan move to League One side, Burton Albion, for the 2021-22 season. Whilst he was recalled in January, Jebbison left a good impression in Staffordshire, scoring seven goals in 20 matches.

However, his good form wouldn't continue with his parent club, as he managed just a single goal in 24 Championship appearances. This was enough to catch the eye of AFC Bournemouth though, as the Cherries pounced to sign the England youth international when his contract expired – paying the Bramall Lane outfit only a compensation fee.

Being only 21 with plenty of experience in the English leagues, there was clearly potential for Jebbison to grow into a top striker, hence Bournemouth snatching him from the Blades. All he needed was a strong loan spell, which would help him challenge for a place in the first team at the Vitality Stadium.

Unfortunately, it looks like that first loan away will be chalked off as unsuccessful. The forward joined Championship side, Watford, on a season-long loan in August. However, it's fair to say this spell has been a massive disappointment for all parties so far.

The Ontario-born talisman has made just two league starts for the Hornets so far in the first 18 matches of the season. Recently, Jebbison had a 65-minute run-out with Watford's Under-21s. His manager, Tom Cleverly, stated that the loanee will get his chance in the first team again.

The Hornets' boss told the Watford Observer: “He knows he needs to learn, and he works and shows the desire to improve. I’ve been really happy with his attitude recently and his chance will come.”

Whilst his former club, Sheffield United, may look back on this deal with some disappointment, it would be fair to say that both Watford and Bournemouth will be far more disappointed with Jebbison than the Blades.

Having gained a small compensation package for him, United still find themselves in the promotion race, even without the 21-year-old. However, the Cherries will be left wondering if their investment was the right one, judging by his below-par stint at Watford so far.

His loan manager, Cleverly, did state that Jebbison's attitude was impressive, which could be a crumb of comfort, showing the striker has the desire to turn this disappointing loan spell around.