Watford transfer wranglings reassuring sign of Vicarage Road ambition

Of all three clubs promoted to the Premier League, it is Watford (11/4 with Coral to finish bottom) that are making the biggest waves in the transfer window, or at least threatening to.

It remains to be seen whether the Hornets (odds-on at 4/6 to be relegated) will add an extra sting to their tail by successfully capturing the big names they are currently being linked to, such as Inter Milan duo Davide Santon and Zdravko Kuzmanovic, but the club can certainly not be accused of lacking ambition.

The Vicarage Road outfit are infamously one part of the Pozzo family football empire, which also encompasses Spanish side Granada and Italian team Udinese, and face a tough task of attracting talent to bolster their top tier survival bid.

If nothing else, the Pozzo’s continental connections seem to have expanded Watford’s scouting network, and both fans and Harry the Hornet will have been encouraged so far by their apparent transfer intent.

All too often after takeovers English clubs can struggle and, following the appointment of Spanish coach Quique Sanchez Flores to amazingly become the Hertfordshire side’s fifth coach in under a year, the future looked both unstable and ominous.

While punching above weight for high-profile signings and offering big wage packets can be a quick way to end up like relegated QPR, Watford’s rumoured targets make sense and, quite simply, they are behaving as though they belong in the top-flight.

Hornets sharpshooters Troy Deeney, Odion Ighalo and Matej Vydra struck 57 times between them in the Championship last term, though the former and club captain is reportedly coveted by Swansea City, and the latter pair are unproven at Premier League level, so Flores may need an able alternative.

This is where rampant Blackburn Rovers frontman Rudy Gestede could step in, to replace, be a partner for, supporting act to, cover or even challenge these for the role of leading man himself. The 26-year-old also netted 20 last season, matching Deeney and Ighalo’s terrific tallies.