Luton Town told to be concerned about Watford FC star with "sublime" passing | OneFootball

Our Hornets fan pundit has picked out Imran Louza as a player that the Hatters should watch out for in the M1 Derby on Sunday

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...

FLW's Watford fan pundit has picked out Moroccan midfielder Imran Louza as the main player that Luton Town should watch out for this weekend as the Hatters head to Vicarage Road for the M1 Derby on Sunday.

Louza has been a key man for the Hornets in recent months and weeks, and is as impactful as he has ever been right now on their performances since his arrival in 2021.

The 25-year-old joined Watford while they were still in the Premier League, but struggled to ever nail down a starting spot in his first or second seasons at the club, and so joined French side Lorient on loan in January last year.

The Ligue 1 outfit decided not to activate the purchase option in his deal at the end of his short spell, so he returned to WD18 in the summer to feature in Tom Cleverley's squad for this campaign, and has been a revelation so far this term.

Hornets fan pundit fires Imran Louza warning ahead of Luton Town clash

Louza has made 24 appearances in all competitions from central midfield this season, and his performances have garnered particular praise in recent weeks, with two goals and one assist in his last six league outings, including a spectacular finish away at Sunderland earlier this month.

Watford themselves have experienced an inconsistent season as boss Cleverley makes his first real steps into management, but they are still firmly in the Championship play-off race in 10th place, just three points from sixth, despite their recent win at Middlesbrough being their first in six games.

The Hornets' fierce rivals, Luton Town, need to start picking results up quickly, with Matt Bloomfield's side occupying the bottom three and at real risk of a shock successive relegation to League One this season.

Vicarage Road will host the M1 derby clash on Sunday, following a 3-0 win for the Hatters in the return fixture in October, and our Watford fan pundit, Justin Beattie, has identified Louza as the main player on his side that Luton should be concerned about this weekend.

“The one player on our side that this weekend’s opposition should be concerned about is probably Imran Louza," Justin told FLW.

“He’s really hitting some form at the moment. He has become the player that I think we always hoped he might become.

“Some of his passing is sublime, his workrate is really something else. He’s definitely become the sort of player that he always had the potential to be.

“It seems to have taken a few seasons and a few loans out to, kind of, bring this around.

“If I was our opposition, I would be concerned about playing against Imran Louza this weekend.”

Tom Cleverley has praised Louza after recent impressive performances

Many supporters would not have envisaged Louza becoming such a key man this season, following his loan spell away last term, but he has been trusted by boss Cleverley and has grown into the campaign to start in 18 of the last 21 league games at the base of midfield.

The 25-year-old has gone so far up in everyone's estimations at Vicarage Road that it was no surprise to see him don the captain's armband against Middlesbrough last time out, after Moussa Sissoko had been forced off through injury at half-time, and Cleverley was quick to heap praise on him in the aftermath of the Hornets' 1-0 win on Teesside.

"Imran has developed into a real leader of the group and he sees the big picture of the game perfectly," he told the Watford Observer.

"He’s now voicing that and he has been excellent for us.

"I didn’t know who Moussa had given the armband to if I’m honest! I was focused on other things, but it naturally makes sense. He has been a really good example and a vocal leader of the group.

"I think all our midfielders mean it’s a strong part of our squad. I’ve got strength in depth there and Edo is versatile enough to move up a line, and Moussa is versatile enough to play on the right.

"But as far as central midfielders go at the moment, Imran is right up with the best in the league."

It certainly seems likely that Louza will continue in a similarly impressive vein against Luton this weekend, given their struggles this season and the fierce nature of the game, which should suit his tenacious, dictatorial style of play.

His comeback from relative obscurity at the start of this season to one of the first names on the teamsheet right now has been a huge boost for the Hornets, and he will undoubtedly play a huge role over the coming months if they are to reach the top six this season.