Watford’s summer overhaul continued in earnest with the capture of Spartak Moscow attacking midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado last week. The 29-year-old – who played under Hornets boss Quique Sanchez Flores during his spell with Atletico Madrid – expressed his delight at the chance to fulfil his dream of playing in the Premier League:
“I am very happy to come to Watford and I want to play right now. The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world and it’s a dream for a player to come and play here. I am happy to be with Quique again and I hope this season is good for everybody. I want to play in England and Watford is a good opportunity to play in this league, and I like this opportunity.”
The History
Born in Cadiz, a province of Southern Spain, Jurado began his footballing education at Real Madrid, where he spent three successful seasons turning out for the B side. Having netted 13 goals in 95 appearances for the reserve outfit, Jurado earned his league debut with the senior team in October 2005. After notching a further couple of La Liga cameos in the 2005/06 campaign, he made the switch to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2006.
By virtue of injuries to Maxi Rodriquez and Martin Petrov, Jurado was afforded a regular starting berth during his debut term at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, bagging one goal across 33 outings. After finding his playing time drastically reduced the following campaign (three starts), the Spanish playmaker was shipped out on loan to Mallorca for the 2008/09 La Liga season.
Jurado enjoyed the best period of his career to date with the Balearic club, chalking up nine goals and ten assists in 35 appearances. He subsequently enjoyed an increased role upon his return to Rojiblancos, featuring in every single league tie of the 2009/10 season while amassing seven goals and five assists. A solid attacking output wasn’t enough to earn Jurado a starting berth at the start of the 2010/11 season, leading to his sale to Schalke.
Managing just three goals and six assists from 31 appearances over two years in the Bundesliga, Jurado made the switch to Spartak Moscow in September 2012 in the pursuit of first-team football. An initial loan deal was made permanent just two months into his stay in Russia’s capital, as the former Real Madrid starlet went on to bag three goals and four assists in 18 appearances (30-match season). The 2013/14 campaign proved to be Jurado’s most profitable in the Russian Premier League, harvesting eight goals and two assists across 29 outings. After earning just ten starts in his final season in Russia, Jurado opted for a change of scenery this summer.
The Prospects
The versatile Jurado has typically operated from a central attacking midfield role throughout his career, but he’s also spent a fair amount of time stationed on the flanks – particularly the left. Having played as a number ten for all but six of 32 outings during his debut campaign with Spartak, he alternated between a variety of roles (attacking/centre mid, winger and support striker) in the 2013/14 season, before occupying a left flank berth for nearly half (13/28) of his starts in the previous campaign.
Handed his debut by the club just three days after signing, the Spaniard made an instant impact by providing the assist for Troy Deeney’s winner against Dundee United. Tellingly, he was the only Watford player to be handed 90 minutes on Saturday, which suggests that Flores is keen to build up the playmaker’s match sharpness ahead of the season kick-off.
The Spanish boss has now employed a 4-2-3-1 in all but one of his side’s matches and it’s fair to say there’s plenty of competition for the three slots behind lone striker Deeney. Ikechi Anya and Odion Ighalo also started at the weekend, though the likes of Almen Abdi, Matej Vydra and new boy Steven Burghuis are all tussling for starting berths.
Jurado’s previous stint under Flores may well work in his favour and at a price of just 5.0 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, he could stake a claim as a viable cheap midfielder. From a Fantasy perspective, Anya – at 4.5 – would be the more budget friendly option, whilst Vydra and Ighalo’s classification as forwards somewhat lessens their appeal.
The Hornets’ early schedule (eve, WBA, SOU, mci, SWA, new) sits on the tougher end of the spectrum, which might deter interest in their favourably priced assets. Indeed, Watford are rated bottom for attacking potential for the first six Gameweeks by our season ticker. For those who fancy Flores’ side to quickly find their feet, though, they alternate home/away with fellow promoted side Bournemouth if you’re looking for a rotation pairing to consider.
Further Reference
Jose Manuel Jurado Wikipedia Page
