Despite being shaky for large parts of the season, Watford have all but sealed their top-flight status. Sitting eight points ahead of the 18th spot, the Hornets will fancy finishing in the top half of the table if they can pick themselves up and put on a good run after the woeful performance against Liverpool.
The transfer window is pretty close and Watford are in a position to attract some good players to the club and one of the recent names linked to the team is Tom Cairney. Fulham have been impressive in the Championship in the past couple of months and are third on the league table.
However, there is a chance that Aston Villa might surpass them to secure promotion and in that case, Cairney is expected to leave the club. The midfielder has been the driving force behind the team and hence would demand Premier League football if Fulham fail to achieve their promotion objective this season.
Tom Cairney: Too Good for the Championship?
It is a general consensus that the best players in the country should play in the top flight consistently. Going by his performances, Cairney certainly deserves to be amongst the top midfielders in England. He regularly operates from deep midfield, whilst occasionally making the forward forays. Cairney is the perfect central midfielder, willing to do both the offensive and defensive work diligently.
His composure on the ball allows the team to circulate and function around him. The midfielder boasts of a 92% passing accuracy; a testament to the fact that he hardly picks the wrong man with the ball. He has also created 44 goal-scoring chances in 26 games in the Championship and hence has been the creative source for Fulham.
The Scot has won 64% of his duels and can be banked upon to break attacks whenever required. However, it would curb his attacking instinct and hence I believe that the player would be best suited to the deep-lying playmaker role. He has been the source of inspiration for Fulham and has been an influential figure in that squad. If they fail to acquire promotion, it would be a huge blow to both the player and the club’s fortunes.
Cairney would want to play in a higher division and against better opponents on a regular basis. At 27 years of age, the player is entering the best years of his career and would desperately want to leave a mark in the Premier League.
Stats via Whoscored
