Watford centre-back Samir is seemingly on his way out of Vicarage Road.

That's according to Hornets boss Rob Edwards himself, who had the following to say on the Brazilian in the aftermath of the club's 0-0 draw with Southampton in their final pre-season friendly yesterday.

“Yes there’s a chance now that Samir will be sold and move on." Edwards told the Watford Observer.

"If that’s the case then we will be recruiting in that area of the pitch.”

This update came after Samir was missing from the squad that faced Southampton yesterday amid reports that the Brazilian could be on the verge of a return to Italy.

That was first claimed yesterday morning by journalist Nicolo Schira, who reported that Samir could be returning to Serie A, with Verona and Monza interested in the defender.

Of course, the Hornets signed the 27-year-old from Italy back in the January transfer window in an attempt to strengthen their defence and try to mount a survival bid.

 

 

Samir went on to make 19 Premier League appearances for the Hornets, but failed to make any significant impact on the solidity of their backline as the club limped towards relegation and a Championship return.

The Watford Observer report that Watford have various homegrown defenders in mind who could come in. Presumably, these are players that the club see as potential Samir replacements.

The Verdict

This is potentially another blow for Watford.

The club are already set to lose Kiko Femenia, and now, their only left-footed central defender is set to depart.

At this stage of the transfer window, central defenders that are left-footed, can play in a back-three, are homegrown, and have the ability to play in the top half of the Championship are surely going to be hard to come by.

If a good, quality, left-footed replacement can be found, nobody will mind Samir exiting, however, if an adequate replacement is not brought in, Samir's exit will be a disappointing loss heading into the new campaign.