Watford January transfer dossier: Silva needs goals and a centre-back to put Hornets back on track

Watford face a decisive transfer window to prevent their current decline from ending in a nightmare at the end of the season.

The Hornets are still in 10<sup>th place of the Premier League due to their strong start to the life under Marco Silva but they have only taken 10 points from 13 games since the Portuguese coach was approached by Everton to replace Ronald Koeman in October.

Both Quique Sanchez Flores and Walter Mazzarri were shown the exit door at the end of the last two seasons and what happens between now and May will be crucial to whether Silva suffers the same fate as his predecessors.

The former Hull City boss brought 11 players in the summer but has made it clear that he will need some quality reinforcements in January to put his side back on track ahead of the second half of the season.

What they need

Silva's priority is to add quality rather than quality and the signing of a top centre-back is much needed with Watford having conceded 40 goals in the first 22 games of the season.

Molla Wague was brought on loan from Udinese on deadline day to improve Silva's leaky back-line but the 26-year-old defender has failed to convince the manager to deserve a regular place in his plans, having only started three Premier League games.

In addition, Silva should add a proven top scorer with Andre Gray and Troy Deeney having scored only three and two goals each during the opening half of the season.

Indeed, midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure is the Hornets' top scorer with six goal while Richarlison has netted five.

Elsewhere, the Watford boss would also welcome a goalkeeper to provide competition for Heurelho Gomes and will be attentive to other opportunities in the midfield and the wings.

Who could join?

The Mirror recently reported that Watford are confident of beating Newcastle to the signing of Leicester City striker Islam Slimani.

Silva coached the Algeria international at Sporting Portugal and is said to be keen on reuniting with him at Vicarage Road in a deal worth around £30m.

Meanwhile, the Hornets are also said to be monitoring the situation of Wolverhampton defender Kortney Hause.

Furthermore, according to The Independent, Silva's side are planning to battle with Crystal Palace for Getafe goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

Who could leave

Silva has assured that no one will leave Vicarage Road in January but the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Richarlison and Troy Deeney continue to be linked with a move away.

The Mirror recently reported that Doucoure is set to be offered a £70,000-a-week in order to ward off the interest of bigger clubs like Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to be a fan of Richarlison while earlier last month Deeney was also linked with a move to Everton.

Meanwhile, the future of other players like Isaac Success, Jerome Sinclair, Brice Dja Djedje, Stefano Okaka or Swedish goalkeeper Pontus Dahlberg looks also up in the air.

What the manager has said:

"It's for us to decide where to strengthen - our board knows what I want and need to improve. Some of the things we did not manage during the last market, I hope we can during the January window," Silva recently said.

"It's not about numbers, I want players who will improve our squad. I hope the board go and get the players I want. I hope so,"

"Of course everything is different if you have all your players available. We started pre-season with a lot of injuries, and well see what we can do during the January market. I hope we can do what we could not do during August."