Last summer, no fewer than 13 Premier League teams broke their club-record transfer to bring in a new player. One of those was Watford, who initially broke the bank to sign Isaac Success before trumping that with the capture of Roberto Pereyra from Juventus. His arrival was one to excite fans and understandably so given his reputation and style of play. The Argentine’s career had stalled with the Serie A giants, in part due to the level of competition for a starting spot in Turin. Indeed, he made just nine league starts in his final season in Italy before his move to Watford 12 months ago.
The Hornets signed 11 new players last year, while Kenedy and Camilo Zuniga moved to Vicarage Road on loan. The new arrivals enjoyed mixed success in England, but the signing of Pereyra seemed the perfect fit for Watford. His energy and high intensity was the ideal fit for the Premier League and for a while it seemed he could be serious contender for signing of the season. However, disaster struck in mid-December as Pereyra was forced off after just 30 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. That knee injury ended his season.
Fans haven’t seen Pereyra take to the pitch since the defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side having undergone surgery to rectify the issue. The good news, though, is that the player stepped up his return to fitness back in May, which comes as a huge boost to head coach Marco Silva. Pereyra was the calibre of player Watford were targeting in their bid to improve and he proved his worth prior to his campaign ending problem as he seamlessly transitioned from Serie A to the Premier League.
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The downside is that while Pereyra is working hard to return to fitness, he is yet to feature in pre-season for Watford. Silva will be desperate to have the midfielder up to speed sooner rather than later, particularly with the season starting in less than three weeks’ time. Not only that, but Pereyra has a raft of competition for a regular starting spot since his injury back in December.
Watford have confirmed the permanent signings of Tom Cleverley, Will Hughes and Nathaniel Chalobah this summer, while Etienne Capoue and Valon Behrami are still on the books. While he offered less than the latter pair, defensively, Pereyra was still a key man in the middle third as he offered another attacking threat from midfield. He ranked highly for key passes per game (1.2) of all Watford players last season, while Pereyra also churned out a respectable 0.9 successful dribbles per league match.
The Hornets lacked the same offensive thrust when he was unavailable as they scored fewer goals per game without him (0.96) than in the Premier League games Pereyra started (1.25). Understandably, this translated to a dip in form as Watford’s win percentage dropped from 41.7% to 23.1% in the matches Pereyra did not feature in from the off. Should Silva implement a 4-1-4-1 formation he routinely used with Hull last season, then there is a position in the starting XI for the former Juventus man in behind the striker.
Yet even if Silva uses a different system for Watford, there should be a place in the side for Pereyra. His return to full fitness will be – excuse the cliché – like a new signing as the Hornets and their owners aim to take the next step and progress in the Premier League. Silva’s appointment is the ideal one, with the Portuguese manager the right choice to help the club’s dream become reality. Pereyra is a suitable midfielder and star signing to ensure their vision becomes realised sooner rather than later.
It’s a shame his season was cut short as he looked to be making an impact in England in the Watford midfield. If he can quickly rediscover his best form upon his return to full fitness in the coming weeks, then Pereyra has the means to be Watford’s most important player in the season ahead.
