I suppose it is a chance to learn in a different league,learn the language etc. Good for his development as a man and player. Perhaps Britos is looking good.I must say I would have put him in against Spurs instead of Maps. Good luck Ben,see you next season.
Sounds like he wants first team football, and this way we can protect his development. Learning to defend like an Italian will be good for him, hopefully.
Agreed. It should at least say 'Thank you to our lords and masters, Watford FC, for throwing us scraps from your table'.
Looking at the table, it looks like Udinese already have a respectable defence and are severely lacking attacking players. If I could speak Italian, what's the bet I'd go onto the Udinese forum to find them arguing that all they want is a striker and instead they keep getting CBs they don't need?
Good. If they have a respectable defence, it’s the perfect place to send him. If he’s here learning from Mapps and Kabasele, we’re in trouble. If he’s going to play each week, it makes sense to send him. If he’s going there to be a benchwarmer, I’m sure there would have been a Championship club who’d have been willing to take him on loan and assure us of his playing time.
I would have thought he could have stayed with us and got plenty of game time, but maybe he will get more at Udinese. I just hope we have a call back clause in case we have a CB injury crisis. I understand that Chalobah could have gone out on loan too. I think it would have been a good idea for him to have done so providing he got guaranteed playing time. Because hopefully that is all he would have needed to get back to being the player he was before his injury. However, as he chose not to go, lets just hope with a good pre season behind him he will be more like the player we all know he can be next season and regain his first team slot.
Wilmot was presented to the media today along with two other players, De Maio & Sandro. Here are the quotes pertaining to him via FC (Franco Collavino, Udinese CEO), DP (Daniele Pradè, Udinese Technical Director) & BW (Ben Wilmot). They've been translated from Italian to English by Udinese. FC - We're here today to unveil De Maio, Sandro and Ben Wilmot, our three new signings. We're pleased with the winter transfer window - the new players will satisfy the technical and tactical needs of the squad. DP - De Maio brings experience. He's a very intelligent guy who has been in Italy for a long time. Sandro's career speaks for itself. He'll bring real personality. Ben Wilmot is a young player that I like. I hope this is the start of a long journey with him. BW - For me it will be very important to play to learn as much as possible. I like to play from central defender and I think the Serie A and Udinese they can give me a big hand in my growth process. BW - Focusing on ourselves is the thing that matters most: focusing only on others is a mistake, we have to work especially on our game. (In response to their low league position). BW - I enjoyed my time at Watford. It was a big step up in my career to go from League Two to the Premier League and coming to Italy is another important step. I can't wait to play in this shirt. DP - We didn't negotiate for de Paul so we were never close to letting him leave. Ben Wilmot is a midfielder that plays in front of the defence. He's a modern player who we have high hopes for. A lot of the quotes were fending off supporter unrest so not a great deal was really said by any of the players but it's interesting Wilmot sees himself as a centre back while the Technical Director says he's a defensive midfielder. Maybe something was lost in translation.
A little more from the presentation today. https://www.football-italia.net/134401/wilmot-relishing-udinese-opportunity And from Udinese's official site. http://www.udinese.it/Apps/WebObjects/Udinese.woa/wa/viewSection?id=25514&lang=eng Translation with Wilmot quotes in bold & italics. WELCOME The General Manager Franco Collavino and the Technical Manager Daniele Pradè present Sebastien De Maio, Sandro and Ben Wilmot, the three new Juventus purchases. "Before passing the word to the technical director Pradè - said Collavino - for the technical presentation of these guys I would like to make two premises. This is the first press conference after the end of the winter session of the football market and as a representative of the company, I would like to reiterate that we are very satisfied with what we have done on the market. The five players we have matched meet the technical-tactical needs that have emerged over the last few weeks. Conversely, we have sold ten players and this has the goal of enhancing them and making them grow. The second premise concerns the particular moment of the season that speaks of an evident phase of difficulty and classification. There is great will on the part of society to get out of this moment. The director Pradè in a recent interview said that we do not sleep at night and it's true. 160 people work at Udinese, all involved in the growth and development of this company ". Pradè: "I can say why these choices are made. We took De Maio because on the defensive level brings experience, it is a smart guy and tactically very smart that will bring us an enrichment for the other young players of the defensive department. Also Sandro will give us something more in terms of experience, while Wilmot is a young guy who will give us a hand in this period but I hope he can do it in the long run ". These are the words of the latest newcomers to Udinese. The first question is for De Maio, who among the three is the one who has already made his debut. How did you see the team on Sunday against a formation that on the eve was given as a favorite? "The debut was positive because the team did well to better interpret the dictates given by the coach during the week. It is not true that we started off because the Serie A teaches us that every game has its difficulty, we have taken the game very close to our hearts as we will have to do it in Turin too ". What does Udinese represent for you? "An opportunity to be able to show what I am capable of doing and for technical choices unfortunately in Bologna over the last six months I have not been able to demonstrate. Salvation will play against Chievo and Bologna but already in Turin will be an equally important stage ". A question for Sandro: when do you think you are 100% and what do you think about this year's salvation fight? "I'm very happy to be here at Udinese, a team I've known for a long time. I'm here to help, the team's base is good and competitive, but I think you can do a lot more. Regarding my physical condition I can say that I will soon be able to help the team ". A question to Wilmot. Do you prefer to play in midfield or in defense and what do you think you can learn from Italian football? "It will be very important for me to play a game. The more minutes I will play and the more I will learn. My position in the field is the defensive one, the Italian championship is very nice and competitive and I will need to play a lot more than just training as it was in England, so I reiterate that I am very happy to be here at Udinese. " Where do you think Udinese can improve? Sandro: "I think that when you fight to not go backwards you need to be a team because every single game is very important. We will have to have a lot of affinity with our teammates because even one ball can make the difference for the future of our championship ". De Maio: "I share what Sandro said, we will have to grow up in the belief that we can do it because we have all the qualities to do it". [Where do you think Udinese can improve?] Wilmot: "I think that what matters most is focusing on ourselves without thinking too much about what the other teams will do". A question for De Maio. In a month you will play against your former team, Bologna: how will you tackle that game having played it with the opposite shirt on the first leg? "The one against Bologna will be an important match and it will obviously not be a trivial challenge for me". A question for Wilmot. Do you have a player to whom you are inspired? "I like being myself but at the same time I am inspired by the best in my role as Busquets or André Silva. I have to improve without having to reflect the game of the top players of the moment ". Another question for Wilmot. What did you think when they proposed transfer to Udine? "I have to say that at Watford I was very well and I had already made excellent progress moving from League Two to the Premier League. My goal is to continue to work hard finishing the season in the best possible way ". * * * * * While Pradè intimates a longer stay, I think Wilmot's final answer looks like it's a short term stay. (For now!)
HA! I didn't bother proof reading the main body after putting it through a translator!! Oops. Oh well, black & white stripes TICK. Italian TICK. Loan player stuck on the bench TICK.
Where’s Wilmot? Sat out the Bologna match whilst Big Stef & Zee started. The grand strategy isn’t obvious.
Given he was starting to get some first team minutes for us and with FA Cup as well this is looking a senseless move.
Thought they wouldn't play a young kid in a relegation battle unless he was really going to improve them.. Would we?
The cousins are now several points clear, without having played Ben. Unlikely to change, you would think.
Agreed. No idea which fool though this was a good idea, us, Ben or Udinese. I can only assume he met a girl from Udine on holiday.
I have been so impressed when I’ve seen him play. I want him to get minutes here and fulfill his potential as he could be a huge asset for us. The four categories for development, ranked best to worst: i) playing for us ii) playing for someone else on loan iii) not playing, but training with his teammates and learning the manager’s system here iv) not playing somewhere else on loan, having to get used to new teammates who he won’t play with next year under a system he won’t play in next year When he left I was worried he was moving from 3 to 4 instead of to 2. So it seems to be.
Wilmot just gave the ball away for Juve's opener. Not his fault in all honestly - the intended pass recipient made the classic Sunday league error of waiting for the ball to come to him, the Juve player nicked it and crossed for the goal. Wilmot incidentally is playing in the centre of a midfield three.
As a Juventus fan...I'm torn. They're basically playing their reserve team...so I wouldn't been have too upset if Udinese won as they've got a large points buffer. Really want Juve to beat Atletico....I can't stand them.
Udinese have been tragically poor so far. No real intensity in defence or attack. Wilmot was unfortunately involved in the 2nd goal too, deflecting it past the keeper. He has at least looked good in possession, the few times they've got him on the ball. Certainly not hiding. Edit: he's been subbed off at HT. Incredibly harsh, even if it is for a more attacking player.
Been called up to the England Under 20s. https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/s...t-included-in-england-under-20-squad/?ref=rss
