Watford are set to bring loanee duo James Abankwah and Caleb Wiley back to Vicarage Road after successful loan spells last season.
Both players joined the Hornets in the January transfer window, making a combined total of 29 appearances between them in the defence in the second half of the season
Centre-back Abankwah is thought to be wanted permanently, whilst left-back Wiley is likely to rejoin on loan from parent club Chelsea. The Republic of Ireland international currently plays at Italian outfit Udinese, which the Watford owners, the Pozzo family, also own.
Whilst Abankwah played 19 games in defence for the Hornets, Wiley’s introduction to the starting 11 was delayed due to a shoulder injury, the American did start the last eight Championship games for Watford, picking up an assist in a 1-0 win over Hull City.
Whilst neither deal has been fully finalised yet, according to the Watford Observer, the deals have a “strong chance” of being completed.
New Manager And New Expectations
After finishing midtable, Watford made the executive decision to sack now former manager and former player, Tom Cleverley, which wasn’t a decision that went down too well with the fans. Uruguayan manager Paulo Pezzolano was the manager chosen to replace the 35-year-old, and whilst expectations of a manager are high at Watford, he certainly has the promotion pedigree the Hornets would’ve been looking for.
It seems that the former Real Valladolid manager and his team want to get their business done early, with the duo potentially joining former Peterborough United midfielder, Hector Kyprianou, in moving early to Vicarage Road this summer.
Many would argue that every off-season for Watford is the same at this point, with the constant managerial departures, but this summer is big for Watford if they want to be in and around that play-off conversation for next season. Getting their business done early certainly isn’t a bad thing, but they need to get their business right with how strong the Championship is going to be next season.
Writer’s View
It’ll be interesting to see how Watford do next season. The club seem to be a mess at the top when it comes to the managerial changes they continually make, with the sacking of Cleverley being vastly unpopular in the world of football. The managerial merry-go-round at some point has to stop, the club need consistency, and they need to give a manager time if they want to reach the Premier League again.
Although their potential three early signings look good, they will likely not achieve success if they want instant results, rather than being patient with a process. Last season, Cleverley had them in and around the play-off spots for the majority of the season, until they dropped off at the end.
In terms of Abankwah and Wiley, bringing them back is very smart business, and makes sense for all parties point of view. It’ll be interesting to see how they kick on back at Vicarage Road.
