"Unclear" - Claim made as Watford join Ipswich and Norwich in race for Bournemouth player | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

A new era is underway at Watford following the appointment of Tom Cleverley as permanent head coach.

Cleverley took over on an interim basis following the sacking of Valerien Ismael in March, and after a strong spell as caretaker which included impressive performances against the likes of Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Ipswich Town, he was handed the full-time job last week.

The Hornets picked up a win in Cleverley's first game as permanent manager as they beat Sunderland 1-0 at Vicarage Road on Saturday, with Ryan Andrews' second half strike sealing a deserved three points.

Watford currently sit 14th in the table, and they finish the season with a game against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium this weekend.

The form under Cleverley has provided Hornets supporters with plenty of optimism for next season, and it seems that the club have already started identifying summer transfer targets.

According to Graeme Bailey of TBR Football, Watford are one of the clubs interested in Bournemouth striker Jamal Lowe, along with Norwich City, Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough, Millwall and newly-promoted duo Portsmouth and Derby County.

Lowe has spent this season on loan at Swansea City, scoring nine goals and providing three assists in 34 appearances, and with his contract at parent club Bournemouth expiring this summer, it seems likely he will be released by the Cherries.

Swansea are keen to sign Lowe permanently, but head coach Luke Williams admitted that his wages could be an issue, which could open the door for other clubs to make a move.

Watford fan pundit on Jamal Lowe links

FLW's Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie is unsure whether Lowe would be suited to Cleverley's style of play, and he believes the Hornets are already well-stocked in the forward areas.

"Our recruitment policy is unclear at the moment as Tom Cleverley has been given the head coach position on a permanent basis, and the sounds coming from the club are that they want to build the team around his specific requirements," Justin said.

"I don't know whether Jamal Lowe fits into that or not.

"We have signed Mamadou Doumbia, a young striker from Mali, we still have Rajovic, we still have Bayo, we've also got Jack Greaves as well who has started to break through into the first team.

"So I don't know whether Jamal Lowe is someone who is on the recruitment team's radar or not, but it's going to be an interesting summer for sure."

Watford must be cautious over Jamal Lowe move this summer

There is no doubt that Lowe is a capable performer at Championship level, but there are question marks over whether he could fire Watford to promotion next season.

Lowe's return of nine goals for Swansea this season is decent, and considering he has mainly been used as a substitute in the second half of the campaign, he would likely be able to improve on that if he started regularly.

The 29-year-old would be a useful player for Cleverley to have at his disposal, but he is not necessarily an upgrade on the Hornets' existing forwards.

Lowe is on big wages at Bournemouth, and with Watford attempting to operate more sustainably, they must consider whether there are better options elsewhere in their search for a prolific goalscorer.