Watford are now stepping up their interest in a new face for Tom Cleverley’s side as they look to continue their push for a play-off spot in the Championship, according to a fresh report.
Watford struggling for form
With just one win in their last five Championship outings, Watford’s early season promise is threatening to fade with their recent results among the worst in the division. Of the 24 Championship sides, only Blackburn Rovers have picked up fewer points than Cleverley’s side across the last five games, while only Derby and Luton Town have lost as many as the Hornets.
And things got even worse for the out-of-form side in their most recent outing to Sheffield United, where they suffered a serious injury concern to goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.
The goalkeeper, who had started all but three games in the Championship this season, picked up an ankle problem in the defeat to the Blades and Cleverly later revealed that it will sideline him for over half of the remaining season.
“It’s a significant injury for Dan, unfortunately,” the Hornets’ boss confirmed to watfordfc.com. “It’s not as serious as we might have first feared, but whichever way we choose to rehabilitate him we’re talking two or three months and not weeks.
“Dan felt at the time that something had cracked or popped, and you can see why he’d have had those sensations at the time. The ligament he’s damaged is a significant one for the structure of the ankle.”
That injury is set to force Watford into the transfer market this January as they look to replace the German, and now reports claim that they have identified his potential replacement.
Watford target Serie A shot-stopper
That is according to reports in Italy, which claim that the Hornets are now interested in Venezia goalkeeper Jesse Joronen, with the Finland international emerging as a transfer target this January.
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Formerly of Fulham, Joronen started the first seven games of the season for Venezia, but has not featured since with his place in the starting XI having been taken by 22-year-old Filip Stankovic.
Now 31-years-old, Joronen’s current £22,000 a week deal in Venice comes to an end at the end of the campaign, and the 6 foot 4 goalkeeper could look to move this winter in a bid for regular first team action.
Daniel Bachmann
Jesse Joronen
Appearances
22
7
Clean sheets
5
2
Save %
67.8%
74.3%
Crosses stopped
2.9%
5.2%
To that end, Watford and Serie B side Sampdoria are believed to have shown an interest as the pair look to strengthen between the posts. Joronen has actually made four appearances in the Championship already, though he will be wanting to forget them as all of them ended in defeat, while the Finnish shot-stopper was beaten nine times in those outings.
No fee is mentioned in any potential deal, but with Joronen’s contract running out, he is unlikely to command a significant one. Could his arrival be enough to help Watford turn around their stuttering form?