Ismael Kone has revealed that he is excited to get started at Watford after sealing a permanent move to the club.

As confirmed by Watford's official website yesterday, Kone has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at Vicarage Road.

Whereas the Hornets have opted against disclosing the fee that they paid CF Montreal, it is understood that they forked out between €8m to €10m for midfielder.

Kone will be free to play for Watford from January 1st onwards.

After making 32 appearances in all competitions for CF Montreal during the 2022 campaign, Kone linked up with Canada for the World Cup.

The midfielder went on to represent his country in their clashes with Belgium, Croatia and Morocco as Canada were eliminated from this aforementioned competition at the group stage.

Watford will be hoping that Kone will be able to play an influential role in their push for promotion in the New Year.

Currently fourth in the Championship standings, the Hornets are set to take on Hull City on Sunday.

After this move was announced, Kone revealed his initial thoughts on the switch.

Speaking to Watford's YouTube channel, the midfielder said: "It feels good, I'm happy to be here, enjoying it.

"I think it was in September [when he first heard of Watford's interest], my agent came to me and spoke to me about the project.

"I think at that moment I was a bit busy in my career, had a couple of things going on so yeah, but I always knew it could be a good step for me.

"A good second step in my career, so this is why I am here now."

Kone later added: "[I feel] excited man, excited.

"You know, I came to Europe and tried in Belgium and it didn't work out for me, there was a couple of stuff I needed to learn, a couple of stuff I needed to realise and improve my game to finally make the step.

"Luckily Montreal gave me the platform to do so, so you now know I'm here to grow even more, to learn even more.

"I can't wait, Europe is big, and I can't wait."

 

 

The Verdict

This could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business by Watford as Kone illustrated glimpses of promise for Canada at the World Cup.

During his time with CF Montreal, the midfielder managed to provide an attacking threat as he scored four goals and chipped in with five assists earlier this year.

Whereas it may take Kone some time to adapt to life in the Championship due to the fact that he has yet to feature at this level in his career, he could potentially end up benefitting considerably from Slaven Bilic's guidance.

By maintaining his fitness in the second-half of the 2022/23 campaign, the midfielder may end up becoming a key member of Watford's squad.