QPR, Watford, and Birmingham plotting swoop for Valencia winger

Queens Park Rangers, Watford and Birmingham City have all been linked to an exciting 21-year-old prospect from Spain’s top division.

QPR, Watford and Birmingham interested in Declan Frith

The Evening Standard have reported that the trio of Championship

sides have all been monitoring Valencia youngster Declan Frith, who is expected to leave the La Liga outfit in the summer.

The outlet added that fellow Spanish side Getafe are also looking at the 21-year-old as

a potential option to replace Mason Greenwood when his loan agreement ends, as there is a chance he may head back to Manchester United.

Frith is said to have grown frustrated with the lack of first-team opportunities in Spain, as per the report from the Evening Standard,

and Valencia are ready to let Frith leave for a small amount, but are likely to ask for a big sell-on clause as he has one year left on his current deal.

Who is Declan Frith?Frith is a winger who joined Valencia last summer, having left Aston Villa’s youth set-up to make the switch to continental Europe.

The youngster was with Chelsea prior to his stint with Villa, having joined the Blues from non-league Welling United in 2021, but he is now said to be considering a return to England.

Frith has played for Valencia’s reserve team this season, and they competed against the likes of Southampton,

Chelsea and Brighton’s under-21s teams earlier in the season in the Premier League International Cup.

He scored twice and assisted as many times in the three games against the English opposition in the tournament, as per Sofascore.

In his final season with Villa, he registered 12 goals and eight assists, and he is very well thought of in England, according to the Standard.

The Englishman hasn’t yet represented his national side at any of the youth levels,

and the US national team – plus Jamaica – are looking to get Frith to switch his allegiances as he is eligible for both nations.

The Standard added that he can play in multiple positions along the front line, and has even turned out as a left-back in some games.

Declan Frith deal suits Watford more than QPR and Birmingham

QPR’s win over Preston North End on Saturday made the chances of them being relegated very slim, but not impossible.

Birmingham, meanwhile, are in the bottom three and have a very important game against 23rd-placed Huddersfield Town this weekend.

Watford are in the middle ground of the league. They face no purgatory or duress, in terms of relegation, but they also cannot push for a play-off spot.

A deal like this, where they will be taking a bit of a gamble on a youngster, is more suited to a team in their position than one who could be in League One in the 2024/25 campaign.

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Plus, examples like Yaser Asprilla, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona, show they are capable of turning these unknown quantities into attractive commodities.

The focus of the R’s and the Blues’ summer recruitment will probably be on more experienced players who can help them get a bit further up the league.

It will be harder for them to justify one of their squad spots on a very unproven talent who could end up being a big star.

Of course, the attraction to a deal like the one for Frith is that, even with a big sell-on percentage,

any of these three clubs could make serious money from the winger, if he maximises his potential.

Can Rangers or City afford to take that punt at this point, when the peril of relegation is looming? It certainly won’t be an easy sell if things don’t pan out.

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