Watford are close to agreeing a loan move for Saba Goglichidze from Italian sister club Udinese, as per Luca Bendoni on X.
The Hornets have been desperately looking for another center-back through the door this winter following Manchester City’s recalling of young star Max Alleyne and the injury the side’s main center-back this season so far, Mattie Pollock
Goglichidze is 21 years old and so far in 2025/2026 has played eight Matches in the Serie A for Udinese picking up two yellow cards.
He made his debut for the Georgia National Team on September 7th 2024 in a Nations League fixture against Czechia, coming on for Giorgi Gvelesiani in a 4-1 victory for Georgia.
He mainly plays at center-back however can also operate in the right-back position. This versatility is something that has been one of the main thoughts of the Watford hierarchy since Alleyne’s departure.
Meanwhile, Saba Goglichidze is 6ft ‘2in and is known for being an aggressive and tenacious defender as well as excelling in one on one situations.
He is very comfortable in the possession phase. In 2024/2025, he had a 89% completion rate for long balls. However, he does have weaknesses in the air, despite his height.
The 21-year-old also averages a match rating of 6.33 according to FotMob.
He is fairly rated by fans of the Italian club and has filled in alongside former Watford defender Christian Kabasele when injuries have occurred. They say that Saba is “Mr Consistent” and has bright future ahead of him.
The relationship between the two clubs is very unique.
Watford FC’s owner Gino Pozzo owns Udinese Calcio and also Watford sporting director Gianluca Nani also works with the Italian club under Mr Pozzo’s ownership.
This has been heavily scrutinized by both fan bases due to the constant transfers between the two clubs since the Pozzo’s took over Watford in 2011.
Meanwhile, relationship between the sister clubs continue to grow every single day with over 45 players moving between the two clubs in the Pozzo Era.
