Watford have recently been linked with a surprise move for Luton Town midfielder Luke Berry, according to Football Insider.
The reason it’s so surprising is because Watford and Luton are bitter rivals, and any move between the pair would usually be met with hostility, so it’s quite uncommon to see players transfer between the two clubs.
However, Watford, along with QPR and MLS side DC United, are said to be keeping tabs on the 31-year-old who sees his deal at Kenilworth Road expire this summer, and he’s set to become a free agent.
After a disappointing Championship season which sees the Hornets destined to finish in mid-table, attention has turned to the summer transfer window, and someone of Berry’s quality would be a useful addition, despite his links with Luton Town.
Luke Berry wouldn’t be a popular signing at Watford
Given the hostility between the two clubs, unsurprisingly, news of Watford’s interest in Luton Town man Luke Berry hasn’t gone down too well.
However, players have played for the two clubs in the past, but this often means that any new signing who has played for the other club has to perform extremely well to win over their new supporters.
Football League World’s Watford fan pundit Justin doesn’t think the club signing Luke Berry would be a particularly popular move, but has pointed to previous examples to show that playing for the Hornets after leaving Luton can be done.
He said: “I’ve seen the rumours of Watford being linked with Luton attacking midfielder Luke Berry. I’m not sure how well that would go down with the Watford fans, although we did have an ex-Luton midfielder about 20 years ago, Matthew Spring.
“He was absolutely fantastic for Watford and was forgiven for playing for Luton and for scoring an incredible goal against us two or three years previously.
“But the rivalry is there and from what I’ve seen on social media it’s not going to be a very popular move if it does happen, certainly until he starts playing.
“We’ve got to remember that Andre Gray came to Watford, an ex-Luton player, and he was dreadful, so let’s see how it pans out.”
Luke Berry would be a decent signing for Watford despite Luton Town connections
As a free agent this summer, signing Luke Berry would be a very decent move on paper for Watford, even if he did have to win over the Vicarage Road faithful.
Berry has a Premier League promotion on his CV, plenty of Championship experience, and has played Premier League football this season.
He’s not been a regular starter for the Hatters this season, and he’s only started two top-flight games, but he’s actually been in decent form recently and has made 15 Premier League appearances so far this season.
| Luke Berry’s 2023/24 Premier League season – Fotmob | |
| Appearances | 15 |
| Minutes played | 304 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Pass accuracy | 69.9% |
| Dribble success | 100% |
| Tackles won | 28.6% |
| Duels won | 59.5% |
| Long ball accuracy | 30% |
| Cross accuracy | 14.3% |
| Accurate as of 2nd May 2024 | |
The 31-year-old has spent the majority of his football career in the lower leagues, and has made more appearances in League Two and the National League than any other division, but he seems to be getting better as he gets older, and would certainly be a good signing in the Championship next season.
It would obviously be hard for Watford fans to accept someone who has played 182 games for their bitter rivals at first, but if he does perform well, then there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be able to win the supporters over, just like Matthew Spring did.
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