Dinamo Zagreb wonderkid Adrian Semper, who was being heavily pursued by Chelsea, is reportedly set to move to Watford in a deal worth around £2.65 million.
According to The Sun, Chelsea are set to lose one of their targeted young gems to a fellow Premier League club. The Blues had been chasing Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Adrian Semper ferociously. But, it seems Watford have stolen a march as the Hornets get ready to nab the youngster in a £2.65 million deal.
Adrian Semper is a 19-year-old Croatian keeper that has caught the imagination of many of the top clubs in Europe with his talent. Widely regarded as one of the best up-and-coming talents in his position, the player has been garnering crucial first-team experience whilst on loan to NK Lokomotiva Zagreb.
Dinamo Zagreb sent the player out on loan to their sister club in February and the decision has been paying off immensely, with Chelsea, Watford and new Bundesliga hotshots RB Leipzig interested in the player. Chelsea tried and failed in the pursuit of the 19-year-old earlier in the year.
Bizarrely. Reports in Croatia say Watford are also close to signing Dinano Zagreb’s 19 year old keeper Adrian Šemper for £3m.
He was close to joining Chelsea in the summer. pic.twitter.com/obekMDB2p0
— • (@zonalmista) November 8, 2017
Michael Emenalo – former Technical Director at Chelsea who has only recently parted ways with the club – even slapped in a £3 million bid in an attempt to convince Dinamo to give up their prized asset. Watford, though, could be about to succeed with an amount lesser than the highest Chelsea bid.
Hornets manager Marco Silva is a huge admirer of Adrian Semper and is ready to fight it out with RB Leipzig to land the Croatian. Watford have a rich squad in terms of talent and potential. The goalkeeping situation though, is a bit different.
Heurelho Gomes is the only quality goalkeeper in the squad and while the player has recently signed a two-year extension at Vicarage Road, he is 37 and Watford must line up a replacement for the Brazilian when the custodian finally hangs up his gloves.
U21 PLAYER OF THE DAY
28th September – Adrian Semper ??
Age – 19
Position – GK
Current team – NK Lokomotiva (Loan) ??
Potential – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/LHrlTQuFKs— U21 Football Talent (@FootYouthTalent) September 28, 2017
A certain Petr Cech did set the Premier League alight for a decade and is still going strong, albeit at a new club in Arsenal. And who knows, Watford may just be able to get their hands on Semper, who although has a long way to go to be named in the same breath as Cech, is definitely on the right track.
The outlay of £2.65 million seems meager in comparison to the level of talent Semper is along with the potential of virtually securing their goalkeeping spot for a decade or so. Whether Semper does end up arriving in the Premier League or not, he looks set to have a bright future.
Watford fans would be hoping he has it at Vicarage Road, though.
