Watford’s busy summer of transfer activity continued on Wednesday with the signing of Newcastle defender Daryl Janmaat for a reported £7.5 million.
The 27-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Hornets, and speaking to the club’s official website about the move, expressed his delight at being able to ply his trade in England’s top-flight once again:
“I’m really happy to be here, it’s a new adventure for me. I was really pleased that Watford showed interest in me because I wanted to play in the Premier League… They had a good season and I hope we can do the same again this year.”
The History
The defender started out at Feyenoord, joining the club’s youth set-up at the age of six. He left the Dutch giants in 2007, though, linking up with second tier club ADO Den Haag.
It was there where Janmaat made his professional debut, and he would rack up 27 league appearances during the 2007/08 campaign, scoring twice and adding three assists, before joining Eredivisie side Heerenveen in the summer of 2008.
Janmaat spent four seasons with Heerenveen, where he established himself as a regular starter, totalling 100 appearances for the club, which yielded eight goals and six assists.
In the summer of 2012, Janmaat moved back to Feyenoord as a free agent after his contract expired. Over the next two seasons he would cement his standing of one of the leading right-backs in the country, playing 74 matches in all competitions, registering an impressive five goals and 11 assists.
The full-back then moved to Newcastle ahead of the 2014/15 campaign for a reported fee of £5 million, and enjoyed a strong first season on Tyneside, chalking up a goal and six assists across 37 league matches.
His performances, as did those of many Newcastle players, dipped last season, though, leading to the club’s relegation to the Championship. He still offered a decent attacking threat, though, managing two goals and four assists in 32 league outings.
Capped 16 times at Under 20 and Under 21 levels, Janmaat was handed a senior debut in a 2-0 win over Turkey in September 2012. He featured heavily as Holland finished third in the 2014 World Cup, and currently has 27 caps for his country, managing six assists, although he as yet to score at international level.
The Prospects
Considering the outlay on the former Magpie, it seems likely that Janmaat will take over from Nordin Amrabat as the right wing-back in Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri’s favoured 3-5-2 formation.
Fellow summer signing Brice Dja Djedje can also play in this position, as can Allan Nyom, Juan Zuniga, Ikechi Anya and Juan Carlos Paredes, so Mazzarri certainly has a number of options at his disposal.
Janmaat’s pedigree as a Fantasy asset certainly can’t be doubted. Since he made his Premier League debut in August 2014, no defender has assisted more goals (10) than the Dutchman.
Given Janmaat spent most of his Newcastle career as a right-back, and not a more attack-minded wing-back, the potential for the 27-year-old looks encouraging. It’s likely to see him priced at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), more than fellow first choice defenders Jose Holebas, Craig Cathcart, Sebastian Prodl and Miguel Britos (all 4.5).
With Holebas operating at left wing-back for the Hornets, it’s worth noting the Greek international has registered three shots and two key passes in the opening pair of matches, so should the former Roma defender remain nailed on, he may provide the better value.
Janmaat’s main strength is his crossing – he has finished among the top eight defenders for successful crosses in both of his Premier League seasons. He created 54 chances over that period, more than Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand (48), for example, who is priced at 5.5 in FPL.
Bearing in mind he managed to post those impressive numbers in a struggling Newcastle side, there’s no doubt that Janmaat looks an interesting Fantasy prospect.
What perhaps counts against him is the fact that Watford have looked less than impressive as a defensive unit in the early stages of Mazzarri’s reign at Vicarage Road, conceding an attempt every 5.2 minutes, the third worst record of any side thus far.
While tough matches against Southampton and Chelsea mean those statistics may be slightly skewed, as of yet the Hornets haven’t illustrated the defensive solidity which saw them rack up a very reasonable 11 clean sheets under Quique Sanchez Flores last term.
With further tricky fixtures to come in the short-term (ARS, whm, MUN), it’s unlikely we’ll see much of a defensive improvement until the schedule eases from Gameweek 6 onwards.
Janmaat’s time at Newcastle also saw him register 11 yellow cards and two red cards, which is a concern. Nonetheless, when Watford do have favourable runs in their schedule, his ability to pick up returns at either end of the pitch will likely bring him onto our radars, and make him one to watch.
