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WATFORD'S RESOLVE TESTED BY PREMIER LEAGUE INTEREST IN ROCCO VATA

Watford winger Rocco Vata is linked with a £20M move to Premier League and European clubs like Crystal Palace and Fulham. His recent agency switch fuels January transfer speculation.

Watford's Resolve Tested by Premier League Interest in Rocco Vata
Irish Winger Vata Remains Hot January Target

Watford's Irish winger, Rocco Vata, is drawing interest this January. Crystal Palace and Fulham, as well as clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta, are watching the £20 million-rated player.

Watford's season hasn't exactly been smooth.

After sacking Tom Cleverley, they brought in Paulo Pezzolano as head coach this summer. But after just three wins in ten games, he was out too.

Watford has a history of quickly firing head coaches, and this season is no different. Javi Gracia, who previously led the team to an FA Cup final, is now back in charge.

The Hornets are currently 15th after 17 games. Ahead of their Monday match against Birmingham City, The Daily Mail reported that several clubs are tracking Vata for a potential £20 million deal.

Vata, 20, is being watched by clubs as the winter transfer window approaches, according to The Daily Mail.

Interestingly, Vata switched to StormSportsX on Saturday, November 29, leaving CAA Base. He's not the first Watford player to switch agencies recently.

Vata has only started five of his 12 EFL Championship appearances for Watford this season. Now, he's being linked to clubs like Crystal Palace and Fulham, plus Atalanta and Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Irishman's contract runs until the summer of 2028, with Watford able to extend it for another year. He's valued at £20 million, and Watford seems hesitant to sell unless they get a huge offer.

Vata has missed the last four Championship games after getting a serious hamstring injury against Ipswich Town. Gracia said he'll be out for a long time.

Despite this, the rumour mill is starting up, and Watford's resolve might be tested in January for their Irish player.

Vata hasn't had consistent playing time since joining from Celtic FC.

He joined Celtic as a kid in 2012 and worked his way up to the first team.

Though born in Glasgow, Scotland, Vata has played for the Republic of Ireland at every youth level and has made his senior debut, choosing to play for his grandmother's country.

He could have also played for Albania through his father, Scotland through his mother, or Montenegro, where he was born, but he chose Ireland.

Since arriving at Watford in the summer of 2024, where the club paid Celtic a £250k fee, he hasn't secured a regular starting spot.

Only 20 of his 43 Championship appearances have been as a starter, with Kwadwo Baah, Giorgi Chakvetadze, Tom Ince, and Nestory Irankunda also competing for a place.

With a long period on the sidelines expected, Vata won't be able to impress before January, and it might be hard to get back into the team when he returns.

Even though he's only 20, Vata has plenty of time to make his mark in the league when he's fit again. If a move doesn't happen this winter, interest in him will likely return.

Vata has shown flashes of exciting talent, and it's not surprising that other clubs are interested, but he probably won't be sold for £20 million anytime soon.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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