This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Watford are set to sign Montral CF midfielder Ismael Kone in January.

That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who reports that the 'Canadian gem' is set to join the Hornets despite offers from Italian, German and Dutch clubs.

The 20-year-old, who recently featured at the World Cup for Canada, was first linked with the club last month.

Kone also came close to a move to Sheffield United in the summer.

With the above said, below, three of our FLW writers have assessed whether or not Kone will be a regular starter at Vicarage Road this season when he supposedly arrives.

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

This seems like a really exciting signing for Watford.

Kone is a bright prospect and clearly highly coveted with clubs in several nations reported to have been interested in securing his signature.

The midfield at Vicarage Road is certainly an area that needs strengthening after injuries to the likes of Imran Louza and Tom Cleverley already this campaign, so January and Kone's supposed arrival can not come quick enough in that sense.

Whether or not he is a regular starter right away will depend on whether or not he can play in a deeper midfield role.

Two big positives of Kone's appear to be dribbling and creating chances which suggest he is perhaps best suited to a more advanced midfield role, but, of course, the Hornets already have Joao Pedro in the number 10 position.

It will definitely be interesting to see how Slaven Bilic introduces Kone to his side when he does arrive. It may be that the young midfielder has to be patient before coming a regular starter.

 

 

Billy Mulley

I think Ismael Kone will have every chance of arriving at Watford and competing for regular football for what remains of this Championship campaign.

Going into January, the midfield position is an area of the pitch that needs strengthening and Kone has the required abilities to operate in a Slaven Bilic side.

Productive in possession and a good reader of the game, he is an exciting prospect who impressed in the glimpses we saw of him at the World Cup.

Of course, he will adapt to a new way of life at Watford and time will need to be afforded but there is certainly a good chance that he can get relatively immediate game time as a starter at Vicarage Road.

The ceiling is incredibly high for Kone whilst he is progressing at an exciting rate.

Ned Holmes

Ismael Kone looks like a really promising addition for Watford and he’s a player that could certainly establish himself in Slaven Bilic’s midfield quickly.

Injuries have limited the Croatian coach’s options – with Tom Cleverley working his way back from injury, Imran Louza and Dan Gosling going to be out longer, and Tom Dele-Bashiru struggling with an issue this term as well – so the 20-year-old can would be arriving as a solution to a problem.

The key positive from the signing of Kone is his long-term potential but it would not be a surprise to see the Canada international cement a place as an influential player for the Hornets pretty quickly.

He was a key man for FC Montreal in the MLS last term and played in all three of Canada’s World Cup games, which speaks to his current quality.

This is a signing with the future in mind but Watford may feel the positives of it this term.