Watford striker Odion Ighalo has reportedly had a £6m price tag placed on him. It is a fee that could tempt Mike Ashley given the 25-year-old’s impressive goal return in his debut season in England.
Ighalo’s goal scoring record at Granada was not particularly special. He registered respective totals of four, six, five and two during his four seasons in Spain, but since moving to England in 2014, the Nigerian international has progressed drastically.
He initially joined the Hornets on loan last summer, and made his debut in a 1-0 win at Stevenage in the Capital One Cup.
A week later, Ighalo made his league debut against Rotherham United, but it wasn’t until his eighth appearance for Watford that he claimed his first goal.
After scoring three in as many games, Ighalo’s loan from Granada was terminated so that he could move to Hertfordshire on a permanent basis.
The former Udinese striker then went eight games without a goal, but a close-range header at Cardiff on December 28th was the beginning of a magnificent run that attracted the attention of a host of Premier League clubs, including the Magpies.
He scored in a defeat by Huddersfield Town, and then bagged six in his next two games: two against Charlton Athletic in a 5-0 rout, and four in the Hornets’ remarkable second half turnaround against Blackpool in which they came from two behind to win 7-2.
Ighalo has continued in that vain ever since, and is currently on 20 goals for the campaign in 35 outings.
Despite not having much time on the ball in either of Watford’s crucial games over the Easter weekend, Ighalo delivered when it mattered most. With the Hornets down to 10 men and 2-1 down at Derby County in a vital fixture in the race for promotion, he latched onto Adlene Guedioura’s angled through ball with 15 minutes remaining, and held his nerve to poke the ball past Lee Grant and earn his side a point.
Three days later, Watford hosted Middlesbrough – another side in contention for automatic promotion – and again Ighalo produced a moment of quality to edge the Hornets closer to the Premier League. He had little impact on the game, until midway through the second half when he unleashed a stunning strike with his left foot from the edge of the box that rifled into the top corner.
With Papiss Cisse approaching 30-years-old and perhaps some lingering doubt over his future, Ighalo could be the ideal striker to come to Tyneside and be the 20-goal-a-season man that every side needs.
It is extremely tight at the top of the Championship, and with three rounds of fixtures to come there are still five teams in with a chance of finishing in the top two. If Watford do miss out, and are unable to progress via the play-offs, then Ighalo could be tempted by an offer from a Premier League club.
It may not be a household name, but with a reasonable price tag for a prolific goal scorer that has played at the highest level abroad, and has adapted to English football with ease, it may be a mistake for Mike Ashley to ignore Ighalo and look to the French leagues again.
