Giorgi Chakvetadze has left Watford for Udinese after three seasons in the Championship. He exits after 103 appearances for the club, with Watford saying the midfielder wanted to test himself in another league. It is a straightforward move on the face of it, but one that fits both Chakvetadze's ambition and Watford's busy summer.
Watford's version of the move
Watford group technical director Gian Luca Nani said: "Giorgi felt it was time to test himself in another league after three seasons in the Championship". He also said: "After offers from around Europe, the technical department decided to keep a very talented player in the group which still provides Giorgi with the opportunity to play top-level football in Serie A".
The club also say Chakvetadze returned from injury in November and featured in all but one of their remaining Championship fixtures last season. That is the clearest reason this move can be read as more than a routine exit. He was back in the side and still had a run of games left to play, but chose the move to Italy instead.
Udinese and the level he is stepping into
Udinese finished 10th in Serie A last season and collected 50 points from 38 league matches. They scored 45 goals and conceded 48, which gives a decent picture of the level Chakvetadze is walking into: a club that was competitive, stable and not short on top-flight games.
For Watford, he is the 10th player to leave this summer, which tells its own story about the size of the turnover. For Chakvetadze, the move is simpler. After 103 Watford appearances, he gets the chance to show he can do it in Serie A, and Udinese get a midfielder who has already proved durable enough to matter across three Championship seasons.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →