Granada, the struggling Spanish side who currently are in the midst of a relegation battle, have let go of one of their most promising talents in 18-year-old Adalberto Peñaranda. The youngster has joined Watford and signed a 4.5 contract to boot and was loaned back to his current club to finish the season. The Venezuelan is also still suffering from a torn hamstring but that is slated to get better within the next couple of weeks.
Peñaranda's stint in Spain
Peñaranda has not been on the European continent for very long having only joined the La Liga outfit this past summer when loaned out by the Italian club Udinese. While he has not scored many goals this season with the first team, four in nine appearances, two of those came in a brace against Levante back in the middle of December. With finding the back of the net, he broke Lionel Messi's record for becoming the youngest footballer to score twice in one match.
He made his professional debut in Venezuela at the age of 16 in 2013 when his Deportivo La Guaira sidelost to Deportivo Tachira in what would be a 1-3 home loss. The first time he would find the back of the net would come nearly a year later in another defeat, this time to Caracas in a 1-4 demolishing.
His presence within the youth national teams is also growing. Currently, Peñaranda plays in the under-20 team and has made eight appearances for his nation already, scoring once, and expecting to play a much bigger role in that side as he gains experience with but his club and on the international level, while continuing to grow in stature.
Star in the making
This is an excellent bit of business from Watford. Yes, he is injured at the moment, but when he is fully fit, he causes opposing defenses all kinds of fit and is definitely one to watch for the future.