Watford agree deal for ‘highly-rated’ Wilmot

Watford confirm they have agreed a deal with Stevenage for ‘highly-rated’ defender Ben Wilmot.

The 18-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Vicarage Road and will hope to make the transition through the youth ranks to the first-team in this time.

Wilmot made 15 appearances for Stevenage in all competitions last season. The Boro finished 16^th in League Two with 55 points, while reaching the third round of the FA Cup and taking Reading to a replay.

Now, the teenager will be going up against the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal on a regular basis.

There will be stiff competition in the Watford defence for Wilmot to earn first-team football, with Christian Kabasele, Adrian Mariappa, Sebastian Prödl and Miguel Britos featuring at centre-back last season.

However, the England u18 international, who can also play right-back, joins a side who finished 14^th and conceded 64 goals last season, so the Hornets could look a new defender to help shore things up.

Moving from League Two to the Premier League is a big jump, but if Wilmot has a good pre-season with his new club, there’s every chance he could feature.

Stats from Transfermarkt.