Watford boss Valerien Ismael discusses potential free agent signings
Watford boss Valerien Ismael hasn’t ruled out the possibility of signing free agents following the close of the summer transfer window last week.
The summer transfer window has now shut and teams have to wait until January if they want to sign any new players.
But clubs can still sign free agents, and Watford boss Ismael was quizzed on the possibility of his side scouring the free market for new additions following his side’s 3-3 draw at Coventry City over the weekend.
Ismael told Watford Observer:
“We’ll assess the situation. If something happens then you have to react, but taking a free agent is always a risk because they haven’t played or trained with the team.
“You need time to build them up so taking the risk to bring a player like that in to try and avoid making mistakes, I’m not sure that he won’t make mistakes.”
Watford signed six new players this summer with two of them being free agents; Jake Livermore following his West Brom release and Rhys Healey following his release from French outfit Toulouse.
The Hornets have since had a mixed start to the campaign having not won since their opening day win over QPR, sitting in 18th place of the table after the first five Championship games of the season.
Free agents needed?
The international break will give Watford and Ismael a good chance to reassess, and figure out their flaws from the season so far.
It’s certainly been tough, with goals having been hard to come by apart from in a 4-0 win over QPR and a 3-3 draw at Coventry City; pinpointing Watford’s weaknesses then could prove tough for Ismael.
But it’s hard to see any free agent signings bettering Watford right now. There’s very few left who could provide at Championship level and Ismael will be keen to make it work with what he’s got, as he’s had a lot of time to work with this side over the summer.
Watford return to action v Birmingham City after the internaitonal break.
How is ex-Watford star Almen Abdi getting on?
FLW takes a look at what former Watford midfielder Almen Abdi is up to these days.
When the Pozzo family took over at Watford in 2012, a special relationship was formed with Italian club Udinese.
The Italian side were under the same ownership as the Hornets, and Watford made sure to use that fully to their advantage following their takeover, bringing in a host of Udinese players on loan ahead of the 2012/13 season.
One player to arrive at Vicarage Road that summer was Swiss midfielder Almen Abdi, who went on to become a firm fan favourite during his time at Vicarage Road.
Affectionately nicknamed the professor by the club’s supporters, Abdi, after his initial loan in 2012/13, would join permanently at the end of that season, and would remain until 2016.
Almen Abdi’s Watford career
Abdi found instant success at Watford following his arrival from Udinese in the summer of 2012.
That first season, the professor featured 39 times in the Championship, scoring 12 goals and registering nine assists as the Hornets narrowly missed out on promotion.
Indeed, a final day defeat saw them finish third in the league standings, before being beaten in the Championship play-off final at Wembley by Crystal Palace, too.
The 2013/14 one was a forgettable one for Abdi, with injuries limiting him to just 13 club appearances.
Watford struggled in his absence, too, finishing 13th that season.
It was in the following two seasons, in 2014/15 and 2015/16, that Watford and Abdi made up for this, though, with the Hornets going on to win promotion to the Premier League and retain their status in the top flight, with Abdi playing 32 league matches in both campaigns.
In the summer of 2016, he would go on to depart for pastures new, much to the disappointment of many Hornets.
How did Almen Abdi get on after he left Watford?
Abdi departed Vicarage Road to head back to the Championship, linking up with Sheffield Wednesday, but to say he won’t be remembered fondly by the Owls supporters is an understatement.
For some reason, the move just did not work out, with Abdi only going ton to make 23 appearances for the club over the next two seasons.
Abdi would remain on the books at the club until July 2019, when he retired from football having not played the season prior.
What is Almen Abdi up to these days?
It is unclear exactly what Almen Abdi is up to these days work wise, but a glance on his social media certainly suggests he is enjoying his retirement.
Indeed, sharing plenty of pictures with his wife and children, it appears that the former Hornet is very much a family man these days.
We last heard from Abdi in 2021, when talking to The Athletic regarding his time at Vicarage Road.
During that interview, he revealed that he was enjoying the freedom that came with no longer being a professional footballer.
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