Watford have confirmed that Ivory Coast defender Brice Dja Djedje has become their fifth signing under new manager Walter Mazzarri this summer.
The defender has joined the Hornets from Marseille on a four-year deal, with the deal believed to be worth €3.5 million, and will link up with the squad, who are currently in Austria on a week-long pre-season tour.
Mazzarri has certainly shown his intent this summer, having already brought in Jerome Sinclair, Christian Kabasele, Isaac Success and Juan Camilo Zuniga on loan.
Defender has a vast amount of experience
Djedje started his playing career with Evian, where he went on to play 105 times, while also playing an important role in their promotion to Ligue 1 back in 2011 in his first season with the French side.
He went on to make 70 appearances for Marseille, but the defender has also played seven times for the Ivory Coast.
You could even count Abdoulaye Doucoure as a new signing, with the defender linking up with the squad for the first time since his move back in January.
And the Hornets will certainly benefit from having star names in their side as they look to improve on last season’s successful campaign, having finished mid-table in the league and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Djedje will slot right into the side
Mazzarri has made it clear that he will be using the 3-5-2 formation this season, and after Zuniga arrived, he needed a right wing-back.
Djedje fitted the bill and the defender said that he had a discussion with the Italian coach before signing, but also back when Mazzarri was in charge at Napoli.
“I had other proposals, yes, even a German club, but I preferred to sign for Watford because this is a good club,” he said in an interview with L’Equipe.
The defender believes he can “continue to progress” now that he has completed his move, and the formation suits his style of play.