Watford midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado could well be heading away from the club this summer, as former boss Quique Sanchez Flores is keen to take him to La Liga.
Spanish newspaper Sport has reported that the talented midfielder is set to join his former boss at Espanyol this summer, and he is now in advanced talks to move away from Vicarage Road. Sanchez Flores brought him to the Hornets last summer, and the move to the Spanish outfit is believed to be around €2.5million.
Player used out of position last season
The 30-year-old signed from Russian side Spartak Moscow on a three-year-deal, and came with an expectation, however, he didn’t make the impact that he would have expected.
Jurado made 30 Premier League appearances last season, but was used out wide primarily through those games as he wasn’t able to find the creative spark he showed the season before for Spartak. The former Spain Under-21 international came through the youth ranks at Real Madrid and went on to make 95 appearances for their ‘B’ team, while in the 2005-06 season, he made three appearances for the Galacticos.
Midfielder not short of experience
He spent four years with Atletico Madrid, scoring 10 goals in his 88 appearances, but a loan spell at Mallorca was sandwiched in between. Jurado moved to Schalke 04 before joining Spartak Moscow after a successful loan spell in the 2012-13 campaign, but he now looks set to move away from the Hornets after just one season.
Aside from his club football, the midfielder played for his national side at Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level, making a combined 47 appearances, and scoring 14 goals in the process.