'Those things are what sporting directors are for'
At the time of writing, there are 180 hours left in the January transfer window.
In the 630-plus hours that have ticked by so far, Watford have added one player to their squad, young defender James Abankwah on loan from sister club Udinese.
However, in the last week they have seen Kwadwo Baah and Festy Ebosele ruled out for a couple of months, goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann was injured at the start of January and with Daniel Jebbison’s loan having been cut short, Watford are operating with only two No.9s – one of whom is a teenager.
It all points towards the next seven days as being pivotal in deciding if the Hornets can continue to be competitive in and around the play-off places, or if the squad is left so thin that the season falls away like it has done in the second part of the last two campaigns.
For head coach Tom Cleverley, focus is on working with the players he has available and hoping colleagues bring him new signings, be that permanently or on loan.
“I will just continue to focus on what I’ve got in the building,” he said.
“If reinforcements come then that’s great, and I’m hoping they do, and we are all working hard to try and make sure that’s the case.
“It’s my job to focus on what’s in the building and those things are what sporting directors are for.
“But I wouldn’t want to put any timescales on it like I did earlier in the window.
“I think the transfer window puts a deadline on it for us.”
Cleverley was also without Imran Louza at Coventry on Saturday, although the midfielder ought to be fit for the coming weekend.
“If the Coventry game was Tuesday or Wednesday he might have had a chance, but I expect him to have a strong chance of playing against Norwich,” said Cleverley.
Losing the likes of Baah and Ebosele isn’t just being without two players, it also means the Hornets have to alter their approach.
“They are two wide players with a lot of pace that we lose from the squad,” Cleverley pointed out.
“That means we have to adapt the way we’re going to play.”
The coaching and playing staff have been given a short break before work begins on Saturday’s home game with Norwich.
“We’ll have a couple of days off now after Coventry because it’s been a long, long time since everybody has had a chance to rest – I think before Christmas actually,” said the Watford boss.
“So there will be a couple of days where I’ll be on my phone, and getting involved.
“Then four days with the players to prepare for Norwich, which is the longest period of time we’ve had working towards a game since well before Christmas as well.”
