“The summer is long” – Watford director on Hornets plans, and one player in particular

Watford sporting director Gianluca Nani has asked Yáser Asprilla to focus on his game for the Championship side amid claims of interest from elsewhere.

TuttoMercatoWeb had a chat with the Italian, during which he discussed the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City, the 20-year-old’s future and the club’s aims for next season.

Watford signed the winger from Colombian side Envigado in 2022 and he’s been a regular for them since the start of last season.

The Colombia international has impressed for the Hornets this season, managing six goals and seven assists from 44 games. Everton reportedly tried signing him towards the end of the winter market but their offer was rejected by Watford.

On February 6th, Takvim stated Galatasaray have identified the Watford player as a target for the summer window. Later that month, Sport reported Barcelona are firmly in the hunt for the South American, which feels unlikely.

When TMW asked Nani if Asprilla will be at Watford next season, the director said that he’s well aware of other clubs monitoring the player.

“In the meantime, I want to see him on the pitch with us as focused as ever. The summer is long and he is certainly a monitored player. But today the boy just has to think about playing with us, as he is doing, like so many others,” he said.

Watford are currently 15th in the table and will have to wait for at least one more season to return to the top flight, and the director says his side’s aim is to prepare a squad strong enough to compete for promotion.

“We have recovered a bit and are trying to finish the season and then compete for next season. We will aim to do the best we can [for promotion]. But today we are focused on finishing well and then making the team for next season,” Nani explained.