Christian Kabasele: The lowdown on Watford's second summer signing
(Picture - Sky Sports)
Watford completed their second summer signing late last week, with Genk defender Christian Kabasele making the move to Vicarage Road.
The 25-year-old has penned a five-year-contract with the Hornets and the former Belgium under 21 international joins the Golden Boys for a fee that is understood to be in the region of £5.8 million.
Kabasele was recently part of Belgium's squad at Euro 2016, however following their elimination at the hands of Wales, his attentions will now turn to the upcoming Premier League season with Walter Mazzarri's men.
The Belgian joined Genk two years ago and made 41 appearances for the club last season, scoring four times. He played every minute for Genk and helped them secure a fourth place finish over the course of the 2015/16 season.
He started his career with Eupen and after a loan spell with Mechelen, he moved to Ludagrets in August 2011.
After one season with the Bulgarian outfit,Kabasele returned to his first club Eupen on a two-year-contract in 2012 and after two successful seasons, he secured a move to Genk in July 2014.
Recently, I caught up with Belgian sports journalist Kjell Doms, who initially broke the news in Belgium that the Hornets were interested in Kabasele, to gain more of an insight on Watford's new signing
The Watford Blog: What type of defender is Christian Kabasele and what are his main attributes?
Kjell Doms: "Kabasele is a fast paced central defender with an excellent tackle and great positional awareness. He used to be a striker, so he knows how they think and that helps him a lot. It would be good to emphasize the fact that this was only the third season he's played as a central defender. Until then he played as a striker. It was at KAS Eupen, in the Belgian second league, where the manager started using him as a defender."
TWB: How important has Kabasele been to Genk over the past two years, having been a regular in the first team line-up? Have his performances impressed supporters and the media?
KD: "He's been the leader of the team this season, a leader by example, on and off the pitch. He's the only player in the Belgian league who has played every minute of every game in the league. He was never injured and was not even suspended on yellow cards. Needless to say he was a fan favorite. He and his girlfriend Priscillia became parents of their first son Liam this year. What's impressed me most is just the way he deals with the press and the fans. It is exceptional. There's not a trace of arrogance or anything like that. He's an absolutely top class guy."
TWB: Has there been interest from other clubs in him over the past year?
KD: "He attracted interest from Bundesliga teams such as Schalke and Borussia Mönchengladbach, but I guess Watford acted quicker to sign him."
TWB: Are there any areas of his game which he needs to work on?
KD: "I think he'll have to progress physically, especially to make in the EPL."
TWB: Do you think Kasabele will easily be able to make the transition to Premier League football?
KD: "I think he'll need time to adapt on the big stage, especially with the pace of the game in England. But it was time for him to move on from Belgium, as he couldn't progress here anymore."
Thank you to Kjell for taking time out to speak to me about Watford's new signing. If you've got any more questions, you can tweet them to him on Twitter: @D_Boy85.
In the meantime, welcome to Watford, Christian!!