Watford FC man backed despite asking to leave amid Parma transfer interest - it "shows ambition" | OneFootball

FLW's Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie has raised concerns over Tom Dele-Bashiru's injury record as Parma are keen to sign the midfielder.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Watford midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru has been linked with a move away from Vicarage Road this summer, with Serie A side Parma the latest club to express interest in the midfielder.

The Nigerian has made his stance clear that he wants to leave the Hertfordshire club this summer, but Watford are reluctant to sell one of their main midfielders, despite signing Hector Kyprianou earlier in the window.

Earlier in the transfer window, Football League World exclusively revealed that Ipswich Town were interested in bringing Dele-Bashiru to Portman Road, with the Hornets valuing him at a whopping £8m.

Whilst no further updates regarding a move to Suffolk have come since, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph recently revealed via X that the Serie A outfit are now in talks with Watford over a move for the former Manchester City prospect.

Dele-Bashiru has 12 months remaining on his contract at Vicarage Road, with an option of a further year, but the Hornets could be tempted to cash in this summer, rather than hanging around and potentially missing out on money in the future.

Questions raised whether Tom Dele-Bashiru can make Serie A step up

Following the news of Parma's interest in signing Dele-Bashiru, FLW quizzed their resident Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, on whether he believes the midfielder is capable of starting week-in-week-out, should he make the switch to Italy.

Justin responded: "Tom Dele-Bashiru to Parma - I think it's interesting.

"He's technically quite solid, and he's quite tidy on the ball, and he's got good energy in midfield, but I can see why he'd want a fresh start.

"I think he's been held in that potential bracket for a while at Watford, and maybe a switch to Serie A is what he needs.

"I think the big question will be whether he can handle starting week-in-week-out in the top flight over there, because ability-wise, he's there or there abouts, but I think we have to look at his injury record.

"He's had a few setbacks, a big ACL injury a couple of years ago, and he missed quite a chunk of this season with a knee injury, so staying fit consistently does seem to be a bit of a hurdle for him.

"I think him asking to leave shows ambition, but I hope that his body can back him up this time around," Justin concluded.

Tom Dele-Bashiru must overcome fitness issues ahead potential Watford exit

As Justin mentioned, the Nigerian has faced multiple injury setbacks in recent years, which have seen him miss out on plenty of minutes over the course of the last two seasons.

Dele-Bashiru featured just 27 times in the Championship for Watford last term, which is barely over 50% of their total matches, as he continued to struggle with a knee injury.

If he wants to make the step-up into the top flight of Italian football, the 25-year-old will have to ensure his fitness struggles are firmly behind him, giving him the best possible opportunity to succeed in his next adventure.

It seems like Dele-Bashiru's days at Vicarage Road are numbered, and despite his ambitions to play at a higher level, the midfielder must ensure his fitness isn't his downfall.