In their first signing of this winter transfer window, Watford have secured the arrival of forward Ignacio Pussetto from sister-club Udinese in a deal believed to be worth in the region of an initial £7million.
The four-and-a-half year contract signed by the 24-year old represents yet another dealing between the Bianconeri and the Hornets — the former owned by Giampaolo Pozzo, the latter by his son Gino — but one that is also doubtless mutually beneficial for either party.
Watford have now bolstered positions which were destined to look somewhat thin should injury affect striker and skipper Troy Deeney or his supporting wingers Ismaïla Sarr and Gerard Deulofeu.
Plus, with rumours circulating that individuals such as Isaac Success and Andre Gray could part ways with the club in the not-so-distant future, as well as Roberto Pereyra's admission that he would not be opposed to a change of scenery in this calendar year, the addition of Pussetto ensures those losses will not be felt too harshly at the relevant times.
In profile
Having started his career with Atlético de Rafaela, Pussetto joined Udinese from Huracán in 2018, and went on to make 50 league appearances for the club in Serie A, scoring five goals and registering a further five assists.
However, he has found game time hard to come by in this campaign, making 14 appearances, the majority coming from the substitute's bench. The Argentine scored his only goal of 2019/20 in a defeat to Juventus in December.
He is known as a versatile forward who is comfortable operating as the main attacking outlet, as a winger, or in the number 10 role, and this could prove useful to his new team at a time when both Premier League and cup fixtures are arriving thick and fast.
"I'm very excited"
Speaking to the club's official website after the completion of the deal, Pussetto said: "This is a huge step in my career. It was not an easy decision to move because it's a huge step, but when I was at Udinese I heard a lot about Watford because it was a very close club. I'm excited to be here and I have to put in as much effort as I can for the good of the club."
How long this transfer has been in the pipeline for is up for speculation, but what is true is that Pussetto has kept a close eye on the Hornets in recent times, including the weekend's crucial basement battle victory over AFC Bournemouth.
"I watched the last game which we won against Bournemouth, a huge victory, and I hope to continue these positive results in order to go up the table, and for me to be able to contribute to this. If the manager thinks I am ready for Saturday I am available, but otherwise I will try my best and train hard in order to be in the squad as soon as possible."