'I have my input and that is taken on board' - Cleverley on recruitment
The January transfer window is a waiting game, often a frustrating one, for fans of pretty much every club.
It’s not much different for Tom Cleverley either who has given the club his view on who should be brought in and in what areas of the pitch – and now while he works with the players he has, he waits to see who else, if anyone, arrives.
The head coach explained how the process worked.
“We sit down and discuss what type of team we want to be, what system we want recruit to, what areas of that system we’re light and then where we can improve the most,” he said.
“Then we highlight some targets.
“I have my input and that is taken on board, and hopefully as many of those as possible can be executed.”
The Watford boss has already explained that all his recommendations were made with the club’s budget in mind, and while he’s keen to bring in experienced Championship players he is also looking at loans from the Premier League.
Do both categories carry heavy wage demands?
“Championship players maybe not but if you’re trying to get Premier League loans then salaries are normally inflated which makes things a little bit more difficult,” he explained.
“Usually it is Premier League players who aren’t in the team and they’re really eager to be part of something.
“That is the kind of profile I’m interested in as well.
“They may have not been playing as much as they want but they come with fresh minds and fresh legs.
“They have an ambition to be part of the project, and those kids of players are also what we’re looking at as well in a couple of our targets.”
A year ago, Watford brought in only one new player during January, and Cleverley is keen to ensure his squad is freshened up more than that – aware as he is that the last two seasons have seen the Hornets drop off after the window closed.
“My job will always be to improve the team and the individuals that we have at the club,” he said.
“Like at most clubs nowadays, recruitment is left to another department.
“But bringing in new players will certainly help us in achieving our targets.
“You see that last season we were in a similar position at this stage of the season but fell away.
“We have to learn from that – why did it happen?
“We must bring in some fresh minds as well as an injection of quality. It’s an important period is the next two weeks.”
