"Looked a bit lost" - Claim made on Moussa Sissoko at Watford FC | OneFootball

FLW's Hornets fan pundit has had his say on Moussa Sissoko's start to the season since he rejoined the club in the summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Moussa Sissoko's impact on the Watford team this season has been questioned after he returned to the club in the summer following two seasons with Ligue 1 outfit Nantes.

Sissoko first joined the Hornets on a two-year deal from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of £5 million, and he spent a season in the top-flight at Vicarage Road as the club were relegated to the Championship, before he moved to Nantes in 2022.

Two years on, and he is now back in WD18, as he linked up with old teammate and current Watford boss Tom Cleverley to rejoin the club on a two-year deal in July ahead of the new season.

Sissoko was handed the captain's armband by Cleverley upon his return to Vicarage Road, and he has been a mainstay in the starting eleven so far this term, but has now come in for some criticism for his recent performances with the Hornets' form suffering a drop-off from the first few games.

Watford fan pundit skeptical over Moussa Sissoko's recent performances

Sissoko has started in the middle of the park in all 11 Championship games so far, and netted the winner in a 2-1 win over Derby County on August 24.

Cleverley has stuck by the 35-year-old, despite some tough losses in recent weeks against the likes of Norwich City, Preston North End and Luton Town, and FLW's Hornets fan pundit, Justin Beattie, has admitted that he has not been particularly impressed by the 71-time France international as yet, when we asked him what he has made of his performances since his return to the club.

“I wasn’t expecting anything from Moussa Sissoko when I heard he was coming back to Watford.

“During his previous time with us, I thought he was average at best, and when he came back he (was) two years on (from) that.

“He’s been okay, I guess. I don’t think he’s pulled up any trees.

“He’s 35-years-old and not particularly dynamic. I think he was watching the game against Luton, and he didn’t really impress me against Leeds recently.

“The last two games he has looked a bit lost. I find it a bit perplexing that he came back. There has to be better options for us than a 35-year-old Moussa Sissoko.

“Hopefully we are going to be finding someone in the January window, or next summer, who is younger, fitter, and not quite as plodding as Moussa.”

Sissoko has not had the desired impact back at Watford so far

It came as a surprise to many to see Sissoko back at Vicarage Road this summer, but big things were expected given that he was one of the Hornets' best players in their unfortunate 2021/22 relegation season, and has just completed two seasons in the French top-flight, yet his statistics so far this term do not paint a good picture regarding his impact on the team.

The 35-year-old's best attributes, which made him a regular for France and in the Premier League for Newcastle United and Spurs, mainly revolved around his great strength and ball-carrying, but his progressive carrying distance per 90 so far this season has been 55.18 yards, which only puts him in the 45th percentile when compared to other Championship midfielders, using FBref.

Similarly, he is only in the 27th percentile for successful take-ons per 90, with 0.37, and 29th percentile for fouls drawn per 90, with 0.75, which may be down to his main role in the team now being to sit back and defend the box as a holding midfielder, but then his defensive statistics are also lacking if that is the case.

Sissoko has made just 0.56 interceptions per 90 in the Championship to date, which places him in the 13th percentile when compared to other second-tier midfielders, while he is in the 25th percentile for tackles made in the defensive third, and 24th percentile for dribblers tackled, according to FBref's research.

Boss Cleverley called the 35-year-old "pivotal" to his team back in August, but he may think slightly differently two months on, and should probably consider giving another player a chance ahead of him in the starting eleven soon.