17 Non home grown players in 25 man squad

Add Pudil, take out Forestieri and one of Layun/Paredes.

Add Jurado, Berghuis and Taider/Gueds.

 

edit: and Britos

 

I think Layun is more likely to stay than Parades, who will probably go to make way for another non home grown slot. Layun being able to cover LB and RB as well as Behrami and Hoban who have both played there.

I really cant see Pudil staying. Of he was home grown then yes, but I think he ll be sold to a mid table Championship club which is his level

 

Just got a feeling Pudil will stick around. Knows the place now, can't leave Matej on his own. Presumably won't mind too much being a back-up in the PL, reliable and experienced enough if we need him to step in.

 

Currently this is my list of players that would be 100% in the squad of 17:-
Gomes, Vydra, Ighalo, Prodl, Abdi, Angella, Nyom, Arlauskis, Holebas, Capoue, Behrami

If/when these 3 sign then they will also be added to the list:
Juardo, Berghuis, Britos

I think there could be another player signed as well, so that total comes to 15.

Only room for 2 more, and below is the list of players that are currently in the squad but are not as secure as others:-
Forestieri, Pudil, Paredes, Battoccio, Layun, Belkalem, Fabbrini

Ekstrand is a long term injury so will not be in the list, but will obviously remain at the club.

The home grown list is a little easier to predict:-
Deeney, Cathcart, Anya, Hoban, Watson, Gilmartin, Dyer, Smith, Murray

We have 9 players, so one would have to miss the cut. It seems like Dyer is back in favour, so I believe it's a toss of a coin between Murray and Smith as to who makes way....probably as a season loan.

 

Will be a real shame if Fernando leaves, I would love to see what he can do in the PL. Would be a fantastic back up option in the 4-2-3-1 too.

 

Pretty much agree with that, except Murray is U21 so he doesnt count towards the 8.

Id imagine Murray and Smith would go out on loan with the other youth players.

The 3 you have highlighted to sign seem very likely, and I think we may still sign Badu . Which leaves Layun to take one of the 2 remaining spots as he can provide cover for RB and LB, although he may want to leave if he feels he cant get first team football.

 

Murray isn't an under 21 - he was 21 last October so would need to be counted in the 25 man squad.

Hoban on the other hand can be counted as an under 21 as he was only 20 on the 1st january this year.

 

It's a good summary. I think we are very opportunistic in the market and will certainly add one or two more than the three signings in waiting, probably a striker and another CM. If that happens only one of the unsafe foreign 7 can make it, most likely Layun. Highly unlikely Pudi, Parades, Bulkylimbs, Fabbrini, Battochio and ... FF will make the cut.

Don't rule out any strengthening from the home market either if the players become available.

 

Gomes (Brazil), Arlauskis (Lithuania), Nyom (Cameroon), Holebas (Greece), Prodl (Austria), Britos (Uruguayan), Angella (Italy), Abdi, Berhami (Switzerland), Capoue (France), Jurado (Spain), Berghuis (Holland), Vydra (Czech), Layun (Mexico), Ighalo (Nigerian), Parades (Ecuador), Forestieri (Argentinian) accounts for a suitably varied 16 nations covering 17 international slots!

If that ******* Abdi hadn't signed a new deal we might have swapped him out for Jamaican superstar Lloyd Doyley to complete the set.

 

I think you're about right.

As it stands I can't see Paredes going anywhere till we have a replacement right back and Layun can play a multitude of places.

Nice problem to have

 

The squad are filming all that crap for Sky when they do the line ups on TV etc. Fernando is doing it, maybe an indication that he'll be in the squad?

 

Britos and Jurado takes it to 16, Berghuis expected to sign is 17. No Immers then?

 

I don't think we need him tbh. We have so many midfielders now!

 

Still think we need another holding player. Maybe there is something in the Ake rumour?

 

Agreed Immers, surely can't be coming now . Far more important to play Abdi .

Send Parades off too Granada to make room for Inler , job done , and time for Gino to hand over to Quique saying " Let's see what you can do with with that little lot .

 

The Immers rumours emerged at the same time the Berghuis ones did. I wonder if Immers was ever really considered, or if he was considered for one of the other Pozzo clubs.

 

Definitely another holding player to come. We are biding our time on Taider and he may still sign, but who knows, perhaps the Inler rumours could be true. Wouldn't be disappointed with Taider though.

 

I agree it's Layun's versatility that makes him the most likely to stay.

 

Surely Capoue and Behrami are our holding midfielders and two is enough? If we did need another, I would want Aké because he won't take up one of the 17 and qualifies as one of the 8 HG players

Or we could just recall Jonathan Hogg

 

I would love to see what FF could do in the premier without hulking championship journeymen hacking away at him every time he goes on a run.

I reckon he's got premiership class and I would really hate to see him go.

 

Behrami is nailed on for a suspension this season. We do have Watson I guess and Abdi can probably play there. Seems like a vital part of the team though so it'll be interesting to see if they settle for Watson as backup or go for a big name like Inler (sorry Ben).

 

every position needs a back up, we need another dm

Taider, Badu, Ake, Inler... Chalobah maybe if Chelsea now consider him suitably ruined?

 

Much as I like Ben Watson as a bloke, I don't want him to be our main back up for a key position in the PL.

 

Isn't 'main back up' an oxymoron? I don't know that Ben isn't good enough to muck in for a dozen games as back up. He's an underrated player in my view. I'd be more confident of him making the step up than one of our creative players. Watson is a spoiler. I think he can do that t a higher level.

 

yes yes I know how much you love ben bloody watson

 

It's not as if Watson hasn't cut it in the Premier before. But we will get another CM.

 

Considering the numbers though is there any chance Berghuis won't be in the squad this side of January and will go out on loan? This would leave Fessi space.

 

Durr! .... How come no one's mentioned the double pivot?

 

There is a simple solution to the home grown problem. Someone needs to hack into the Herts FA's computer and insert any chosen player's name as registered for some boys team from the age of 8 - 11.

 

Ooooh!!!! that would be me. And im at least on a par with Gilmartin. Certainly better than Loach. At 33 im still in my prime!

 

?????

 

Many football clubs do this thing where they allow a player to play for another club without permanently transferring them. It's called a 'loan' or 'lone'. Often they do this with a player they won't immediately need to give them experience of, for example, a new country.

 

Done. Fessi's details now read,

Forestieri F. Forward Watford FC. Place of Birth, Wheathampstead. Development club, Boca Juniors.

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/WatfordFCStats/status/625785619038474240/photo/1

Thought this was pretty cool.