Earlier this month, Watford kicked off their summer transfer activity with the ambitious signing of Werder Bremen centre-back Sebastian Prodl. Boasting experience in the Champions League and an international career that’s harvested nearly 50 caps, the 6ft 4in-tall Prodl should afford the Hornets a real physical presence at both ends of the pitch.
The Statistics
Between the ages of six and 15, Prodl learned his trade at the youth academies of SV Kirchberg and SV Feldbach. In 2002, he made the switch to his local Austrian Bundesliga outfit, Sturm Graz, though it was four years before the rangy centre-back earned his first start for the club.
Prodl made 43 appearances in all for Sturm Graz, notching four goals and one assist in the process. Having helped his side qualify for the UEFA Intertoto Cup in the 2007/08 campaign, Prodl’s stellar performances were acknowledged by Werder Bremen, resulting in a £2m switch to the German outfit.
The centre-half established himself as a permanent fixture under the stewardship of manager Thomas Schaaf, producing 149 appearances, ten goals and six assists throughout his seven-year stint with “The River Islanders”. His professional highlight occurred in the 2008/9 season, when Werder Bremen triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen in the German cup final, having lost out to Shakhtar Donetsk in the final of the UEFA Cup 10 days before.
In terms of international pedigree, Prodl captained his country during the 2007 U20 World Cup, having earned his senior debut a month before against Scotland. He has since turned out for Austria at the 2008 Euros and their qualifying campaign for the 2012 finals. In all, Prodl has accrued 49 caps for Das Team, netting four goals throughout that period.
The Prospects
Prodl’s height serves as both a hindrance and a strength. Akin to Arsenal’s 6ft 6in German centre-back Per Mertesacker – whom he played alongside during the World Cup winner’s five-year stint at Werder Bremen – Prodl is somewhat slow on the ground, yet compensates for that deficiency with excellent positioning and organisation.
Archie Rhind-Tutt – a Bundesliga expert for BT Sport’s European Football Show – stressed this point during an interview with the Watford Observer, insisting that his towering presence, experience, mental strength and well-rounded skill set should serve him well at Vicarage Road.
Now the sixth-tallest outfield player in England’s top tier, Prodl’s stature enabled him to win 66% of his headed duels in the Bundesliga last term. He also took advantage of his aerial prowess in the opponent’s penalty box, netting three times in 22 outings (19 starts) at an average of 581 minutes per goal – which would’ve ranked him second amongst defenders, behind Chris Smalling (495 minutes per goal), in the Premier League last season. His most recent strike arrived in a league tie against Schalke this February, when he entered the fray as a late substitute and headed home a last-gasp equaliser.
Although Werder Bremen ended the 2014/15 Bundesliga campaign with the joint-worst defensive record (65 goals conceded), it’s worth noting that they changed managers halfway through the season and made a strong recovery henceforth, leaping from the foot of the table during the winter break to finish in 10th place.
As for Prodl’s prospects within the Hornets set-up, it remains to be seen which of their current first-choice centre-backs (Craig Cathcart and Gabriele Angella) will drop out to accommodate the Austrian defender, with new boss Quique Sanchez Flores likely to deploy a four-man backline in the upcoming campaign.
In the likely event that Prodl nails down a starting berth, his attacking threat – coupled with Watford’s decent defensive record (they conceded the fifth-lowest number of goals in the Championship last season) – could make him an enticing budget defender. With three decent home clashes in the first five (WBA, SOU, SWA), the big Austrian may well find himself on our radars as a viable rotation option, should he come in at 4.5 or under in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game for the season ahead.
