"Disinterested" - Watford FC: Imran Louza situation addressed | OneFootball

Football League World asked our Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, which Hornets player could do with a loan move in January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Watford are currently enduring their third consecutive season in the Championship, following relegation from the Premier League in 2022.

The Hornets finished 11th in the second tier table, but just six points behind the play-off spots in 2022/23, but last term the Hertfordshire outfit failed to mount a top-six push.

But under the guidance of boss Tom Cleverley, the Hornets could now have what it takes to finish in the play-offs this season, and have enjoyed some positive results throughout the campaign so far, such as a 2-1 win over automatic promotion hopefuls Sunderland back in September, and an emphatic 6-2 victory at Sheffield Wednesday in early November.

But while several members of Cleverley's squad are making a positive account of themselves so far this season, Football League World asked our Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, if there was a player at Vicarage Road right now who could really do with a loan move in January.

Criticism aimed at Imran Louza

Justin said: "Louza is a player that could do with a loan move in January.

"He hasn't really featured very much this season.

"When he does feature he looks disinterested.

"He's not the player that we thought we were signing several seasons ago.

"Really, it would be better for him to go out on loan and get some football somewhere else, and then ideally move on permanently somewhere, because he's just taking up a space in the squad.

"He's absorbing quite a lot of the salary budget, and isn't really contributing anything towards Watford whatsoever currently."

A Louza loan move away from Watford could be best for both parties

As recalled by Justin, while the Hornets are enjoying a decent season so far, Louza is not heavily involved in the efforts of Cleverley's men, and appeared in just three of the club's first 13 Championship games.

This indicates that the 25-year-old is not a major part of Cleverley's plans, despite the fact that he is the Hornets' third highest paid player, earning a weekly salary of £32,500 and a yearly pay of £1,690,000 according to Capology estimates.

While Louza is enduring a lack of game time, it could be an ideal situation for the club to offload some of his high salary by sending him out on loan come January.

Furthermore, the Morocco international performed well during a loan spell with French outfit Lorient, then of Ligue 1, last term, as he scored one goal and created three assists in 14 top-flight outings.

His exploits in a Lorient shirt arguably demonstrate that he is capable of producing his best football away from Vicarage Road, while his contract with the Hornets lasts until 2028.

Due to the length of Louza's contract, a loan-to-buy deal with another club for the midfielder's services, as touted by Justin, could be the ideal scenario for the Hornets.

When the Hertfordshire side signed the former Nantes man ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, they will have hoped that his addition could help them stay in the Premier League following their promotion from the Championship in 2021.

However, Louza failed to provide a single goal contribution in 20 top-flight appearances, as the Hornets were immediately relegated back to the second tier.

He then displayed his creative quality during a 2022/23 Championship season in which he scored five goals and made four assists in 21 league appearances, but he has failed to produce those sorts of numbers since.

While Louza is not a major asset for the Hornets, it is no surprise that Justin has claimed that the Morocco international and the club could benefit from a loan move for the midfielder.