Football League World
·6 February 2023
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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·6 February 2023
With sixteen games to go in their Championship campaign, Watford currently sit 5th in the league standings.
Although harbouring automatic promotion aims at the beginning of the campaign, with Burnley and Sheffield United so far ahead, the Hornets only realistic hope of going up is via the play-offs.
Given their sketchy run of form of late, though, not even a top six spot is guaranteed.
They did at least strengthen in the January transfer window, though, although there were some areas Bilic demanded needed additions that were not addressed.
With that said, although at this stage the best free agents have been long snapped up, we’ve identified two players the club could perhaps consider for short term depth between now and the end of the season.
Central midfield is one of the aforementioned positions that Slaven Bilic wanted to see a further addition, but a further one did not come to fruition.
This is perhaps understandable given the options the club will have at their disposal when everyone is fit, but those are they key words, ‘when everyone is fit’.
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That hasn’t often been the case at Watford this season and as a depth option to replace Dan Gosling, who is set to be out for the rest of the season most likely, the club could look to bring in Danny Drinkwater.
The former Leicester and Chelsea midfielder has been a free agent since leaving Stamford Bridge last summer and did a decent enough job in a struggling Reading side in the Championship last season.
One area Watford could look to add experience in is at left-back via free agent Jetro Willems
The club have solid options there at present, with Hassane Kamara as first choice and young James Morris as his deputy.
Morris has done well in Kamara’s absence, but Bilic did not keep him in the side for long upon Kamara’s return, despite some questionable performances from the Hornets first choice left-back.
As such, perhaps the club could consider 28-year-old Willems, who is a free agent after leaving Greuther Furth following their relegation from the Bundesliga last season.
The Dutchman has prior experience of playing in England having had a spell on loan at Newcastle United in 2019/20.