January Transfer Window 2021

Watford scouts have got the easiest jobs in the world. It doesn't matter who they suggest, Gino signs who he wants.

 

No but he might cushion the blow of not getting promotion this season.

 

Nonsense. If we sign Chair we'll win promotion comfortably

 

We can close this thread now can't we?

 

No mate it's still got legs.

 

We can just keep padding it out...

 

Get him on an intensive training programme to bulk him out a bit then he might make the bench.

 

That Kim Min-Jae fellow now being chased by Spurs and Chelsea according to the papers. And Ozan Kabak being linked to Liverpool.

Both players we'd clearly identified and made enquiries about but couldn't get over the line. Hard to know all the reasons why we didn't manage to but shows the folly of never spending money on promising defenders.

 

There were a lot of rumours about KMJ going to Spurs in the summer, nothing came of it then though:

http://wfcforums.com/index.php?threads/kim-min-jae.55373/page-9#post-2865909

When we were linked it did seem as if we could have signed him, but then pulled out for whatever reason.

Kabak would probably have never been possible for us to sign though, even if we had made enquiries.

 

We also could have signed Harry Maguire if Leventhal is to be believed.

 

Confirmed that Jarrad Branthwaite has joined Blackburn on loan.

He’d have been a decent option for us. So I’m not surprised we didn’t sign him.

 

They've got a very good player there.

 

End of the window Udinese job

 

Well watching Glimt alot last season I'd hope that Zinckernagel is or has put a few names forward. Berg at DM has talent, Junker we all know about and the left back Bjorkan would all be excellent additions. Berg and Bjorkan are in the final year of their contracts too.

 

Spot on. Though it's probably not that hard to work out most of the reasons.

 

CB is truly one area we're well stocked in though, especially now we've thankfully abandoned 3 at the back.

 

There's this idea going round where all the promotion hopefuls are strengthening and we are not. Norwich, Brentford, Swansea, Reading and Bournemouth have (thus far) made a combined zero signings. We've made probably the best addition across the division this window in Zinckernagel. Swansea have lost Gibbs-White, one of their best players. Some signings have been made by the pack in mid-table, particularly Stoke and Preston, but those are largely to cover for injuries (Stoke have lost Fox and Campbell) or potential end of contract departures (Preston have a bunch of key players who could depart now or at the end of the season).

Don't get me wrong, it is increasingly looking like this window will prove to be a missed opportunity for us, particularly if we fail to replace Capoue. But this idea that everyone else is strengthening and we are standing still is just not borne out in reality. We need to strengthen so that we can catch up with teams that appear to be pulling away.

 

I'm not really sure where you're seeing this idea that all our rivals are strengthening, though - unless I'm seriously missing something, I haven't noticed it expressed here much.

On top of that, it's not really a particularly relevant comparison, because whether they are strengthening or not, our promotion rivals have all been both playing and doing better than us, as it stands, and furthermore, they don't have the same glaring issues in key positions of the squad as we do. Nobody's crying out for signings for the sake of signings - they're crying out for the same thing they have for 4 or 5 windows now, to no real avail.

Zinckernagel might well be the signing of the window, but it doesn't really matter, because insanely, taking all I've said into account, he is a player who plays in probably our most well/over-stocked position. It will just as likely turn out to be Sarr mkII - fiddling on flashy attacking midfielders whilst Rome burns (thanks to a total lack of strikers).

 

I wonder if Zinckernagel might be used as an out and out striker, it could work?

 

People have posted on this thread and several others over the last few days that they are frustrated to see our inaction while teams around us all strengthen. That is the sentiment that I was responding to. It’s also not a particularly helpful comparison, as you say, and that is one of the reasons why I am calling it out.

But I agree with the second part of your post, which seems to align with the second part of mine. This transfer window is important not because all the teams around us are strengthening and we’re not, but because it’s an opportunity to reinvigorate our season with the reinforcements we need to stay in the promotion hunt.

Re Zinckernagel, yes he plays ostensibly in the same position as Sarr but they’re very different players who offer very different threats. For instance, Buendia and Adama Traore are both right wingers but offer a threat in very different ways and I think Sarr and Zinckernagel have a similar (yet not as stark) contrast. Also, we had no depth at all on the wings until now. Now, if Sarr gets injured, we’re no longer stuck up the creek without a paddle.

 

I do agree with the second part of your post, indeed. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Zinckernagel has come in; it's a good thing. But we already had wing depth in as much as we have at least two players who can play there on each side (if you include Femenia, which we probably should because he is the best ball progressor in the league from full back already).

If we were only going to bring one new player in, wing would have been the place that's probably the least required, that's my overarching point; Zinckernagel is a hopefully helpful/useful luxury in context, and let's not forget that his preferred position is also the one that the most expensive player in the league and our record signing already plays in. Every single one of us knows we have needed a striker for literal years now, and that has never been more evident on the pitch than in the past half a season, and yet once again (so far, at least) we have just completely ignored that fact (and yes, as ever, for anyone reading I'm extremely aware of the likelihood of that happening, the albatrosses of Deeney and Gray around our necks, money, etc etc).

It's great to have him, but without a striker capable of taking advantage of his play, it's fairly meaningless.

 

He's not an out and out striker/centre forward, never has been, and has just had a historically good season that measures up with the best in Europe taking context into account, playing on the wing.

If we bring him in only to attempt to shoehorn him into a position that he's literally never played and expect any kind of positive results, halfway through a season, like it's ******* football manager, that would be the most Watford thing ever really.

 

I fully expect us to play Zinckernagel anywhere but right wing for the rest of the season. Just had the best season of your career on the right have you? Get out on the left mate. I wonder how long until we find out if he can play at full back.

 

Bright Osayi-Samuel has signed a pre-contract with Fenerbahce.

 

They had a Zincky-boy shaped hole in the 'incoming' column...

 

I think I’d rather have us bring in a winger than a centre back, right back or goalkeeper. And probably on par with an extra LB.

A new striker is definitely needed and as you say has been for a while. Hopefully we’re able to make some room in the summer and sort it out, regardless of which division we’ll be in next season.

 

Good thing he’s not headed to Brentford or Bournemouth or some other rival.

 

Maybe. But it’s just a band aid.

I’ve been saying for years that we need a “fox in the box” type striker, yet for some reason posters keep trying to convert existing players into strikers, and completely ignoring the issue.

 

Upon relegation GP said they'd learned lessons and will make changes to strategy, which I now read as "we will go back to mainly frees, loans or Udinese options this year and won't be chucking over £5m at any new player, nor 5 year contracts if they are over 25."
Thats why Zinc came in and nobody else unless they're cheap....

 

Gino should be on the phone to the Porn Bro's with a view to shipping Troy off on loan until the end of the season. If anyone will take him, it's probably the Spammers.

 

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