I had the privilege of watching this electric winger live at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia last June. Probably the best youth I saw at Copa America, the Venezuelan has ball-carrying and pace. He would start for his parent club Watford, but work permit issues and several loans have derailed his progress. In 2015, Peñaranda was shot at a party, but he only suffered minor damage to his thigh. Simply put, he’s a pure killer, and is one of the many talents produced from Venezuela’s current youth revolution, which boasts the likes of Víctor García and Juanpi. After proving himself at Granada, Watford head honchos decided to send him on loan to Udinese, where he has struggled under the defensive-minded manager that is Luigi Delneri, as the flair player has not fit into the system. Watford should consider liberating him and sending him to the world class coach that is Jorge Sampaoli. I mean, if there’s any team that knows how to revive bizarrely talented players locked out of squads, it’s the Andalusian side.
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