Recent Academy signing Luigi Gaspar knew Watford was the ideal club to further his development, having chosen to leave Arsenal last season.
The Brazilian midfielder signed a professional contract with the Hornets earlier this month and has joined up with Omer Riza’s Under-21 side ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, integrating into his new side seamlessly with the help of old friends and new faces.
The son of Gunners legend and former Brazil international Edu, now Technical Director at Arsenal, young Gaspar made the difficult decision to depart familiar surroundings, but couldn’t be happier with the start to life at Watford.
“So far so good!” Gaspar beamed. “I’m very happy to be here, to join this club is amazing.
“It’s exciting to be at a new club. Me, my dad and my agent were deciding on which club to go to and my agent suggested Watford. Right away I said I didn’t want to hear anything else.
“João [Pedro] and Samir have helped me a lot, they’re my friends. I’ve known João since I was 14 or 15, so being with them is so nice.”
Hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps while carving out a legacy of his own, Gaspar credits Edu as the main influence in his footballing life, having put a ball at his feet as a young boy.
Growing up in Brazil and England, the midfielder has developed a style of play with aspects of both countries’ styles, with impressive close control and physicality in the middle of the park. His time at the north-London side and Corinithians honed those qualities.
“My dad’s the main guy in my life with football,” continued Gaspar. “Whenever I have an issue I talk with him and he helps me.
“I grew up with a football at my feet, because of my dad, always playing football, studying the game and playing in an academy in Brazil, that’s my first memory of football as a four or five-year-old.
“Playing futsal as a youngster they teach you about the touch, weight of pass. It’s a small-sided pitch and it helps me a lot now in football.
“When I was 11 at Corinthians I was a striker, but the manager told me to play further back as a ‘10’. When I joined Arsenal they wanted me to play in midfield, so I became a defensive midfielder.”
Leaving Brazil wasn’t easy for Gaspar, but a trial at Arsenal was too good an opportunity to turn down. A few years later, the 18-year-old knows departing the Emirates Stadium is another tough decision, but one that will continue his progress as a professional.
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Gaspar reflected: “It wasn’t easy to leave Brazil, I came to Arsenal on a trial and had to leave family and friends to go to England for something that wasn’t certain. After that, my first session, they made me feel very welcome and it became home.
“I was entering a phase where he [Edu] would be my boss, it’s not easy to manage that. Lots of people say I only play because of my dad but that’s football. I told him, it’s time to leave, I need to face a new challenge, and people need to recognise me as Luigi.
“I love to play football. My goal now is to maintain fitness so I can play and do my best here. Signing my first professional contract at this club is an amazing feeling for me, my family and friends.”
