What Would Be The Ideal January Transfer Window For Watford?
Watford enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top-10 in the initial stages of the new season but of late, the club seem to be enduring a slump in form. Currently, they are placed 10th and while that may not necessarily be a bad position to be in, Marco Silva’s men looked capable of achieving greater things.
They have a good team and the manager has been able to make a positive impact at the club. However, things have not gone their way lately and the upcoming January window could play a crucial role in tilting their fortunes.
The Hornets were quite busy over the summer and brought in a lot of important players. Doing so did work out in their favour but they are lacking depth in certain areas. First of all, they need a quality striker up front – somebody who can go out and score goals day in and day out.
For any team to succeed, a reliable forward is a necessity and although Watford have Richarlison, they need a natural yet reliable striker. Currently, they have Andre Gray and Troy Deeney as the only recognised options up front. Both of them are struggling for form while Stefano Okaka could be on the lookout for an exit.
The lack of a striker has affected them in games against teams that like to sit deep and they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to proceed higher up the points table. They have been linked with Islam Slimani of Leicester City and Danny Ings of Liverpool. If they manage to sign either one of these strikers, they could receive a considerably strong boost up front.
Talking about the front line, Silva could also use greater depth when it comes to his wide attackers. As of now, Richarlison, Andre Carrillo, Roberto Pereyra and Isaac Success are their only recognised options, out of which two are down with injuries. Success has not had the best of times at the club and he could be heading out in January, which could make things tough for Watford. Hence, a quality winger could massively improve their chances going forward.
Another area the manager needs to focus on is central defence. Udinese defender Molla Wague joined on a loan deal in the summer but that is not a long-term option. One might argue that the club already has too many centre-backs, but the fact is they lack quality.
In recent weeks, their back line has looked fragile and that is a concern that needs to be addressed immediately. The manager could consider promoting some youngsters if finance is an issue, but if he manages to bring in reinforcements to strengthen these areas, Watford’s chances could considerably improve after January.