Watford Weigh Up Another Midfield Signing While Tom Ince Highlights His Continued Ambition
Watford are actively exploring the possibility of adding one more central midfielder to their squad before the January transfer window closes, despite already completing deals for Rocco Vata, Moussa Sissoko’s return and the loan capture of Etienne Camara from Udinese. Sources close to the club indicate that head coach Tom Cleverley and sporting director Ben Manga remain in the market for a player who can offer both defensive solidity and progressive passing in the engine room as the Hornets look to maintain their automatic promotion push in the Championship.
The club’s hierarchy believe the midfield department, while improved, still lacks the depth required for a gruelling 46-game season plus cup commitments. With injuries already disrupting the rhythm of players such as Edo Kayembe and Imran Louza earlier in the campaign, Cleverley is keen to avoid being short-staffed during the critical spring months when fixtures come thick and fast.
Names in the frame are understood to include both domestic and overseas options. One player who has consistently appeared on Watford’s internal shortlists is AFC Bournemouth’s 22-year-old midfielder Gavin Kilkenny, who has found minutes hard to come by on the south coast this season. Kilkenny spent the second half of last season on loan at Fleetwood Town and is highly thought of by the Cherries’ hierarchy, but a temporary move to the Championship could suit all parties. Watford have a good recent relationship with Bournemouth after taking both Siriki Dembélé and Kieffer Moore on loan deals in previous windows.
Another name being monitored is Hellas Verona’s Croatian international Josip Brekalo, although the 26-year-old is predominantly a wide attacker who can also operate as a number ten. Verona’s financial difficulties could force their hand in the winter market, and Watford’s Italian connections through the Pozzo family’s ownership web remain strong. However, the priority remains a dedicated central midfielder rather than another attacking option.
Perhaps the most eye-catching link is with Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury. The 27-year-old academy graduate has slipped down the pecking order at the King Power Stadium following the Foxes’ return to the Premier League and is believed to be open to a move that would guarantee regular football. Choudhury’s combative style and ability to break up play would complement the more attack-minded profiles of Kayembe, Louza and the returning Sissoko. Leicester’s reluctance to let him leave permanently may push any potential deal towards a loan with an option or obligation to buy in the summer.
While the recruitment team continue their work behind the scenes, one man very much in the spotlight is Tom Ince. The 32-year-old winger-turned-attacker spoke candidly to the media following Watford’s 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday night, a result that moved the Hornets back into the automatic promotion places.
“I still feel I have a lot to offer at this level and higher,” Ince said. “People look at my age and think the legs have gone, but I’m fitter now than I was at 25. I’m playing with a point to prove – not just to other people, but to myself. I want to show I can still be a decisive player in a promotion-winning team.”
Ince’s comments come at a time when his future beyond this season remains uncertain. His current contract expires in the summer of 2025, and although preliminary talks have taken place, no agreement has been reached on an extension. The former England under-21 international has started only eight league games this term, with competition from Kwadwo Baah, Rocco Vata and the rejuvenated Yáser Asprilla limiting his minutes.
Yet when called upon, Ince has rarely let Cleverley down. His match-winning brace against Plymouth took his tally to six goals and four assists in all competitions – numbers that compare favourably with many attacking players higher up the pecking order. His experience – more than 400 career appearances – is also viewed as priceless in a relatively young dressing room.
“Tom is a leader,” Cleverley said after the Plymouth game. “He might not always start, but the way he trains and the way he conducts himself sets the standard. When his opportunity comes, he takes it. That’s all I can ask for.”
Ince himself is under no illusions about the challenge of earning a new deal. “I know how football works,” he continued. “If the club decides to go in a different direction, I’ll respect that. But I’m not ready to be written off. I look at players like Ryan Giggs, who was still performing at the highest level at 35, 36, 37. Age is just a number if you look after yourself and you have the hunger.”
The winger’s father, Paul Ince, managed to play top-flight football until he was 37 and has been a constant source of advice during this period. “Dad just tells me to keep enjoying it,” Tom revealed. “He says as long as you’re enjoying pulling the boots on and you’re affecting games, don’t let anyone tell you you’re finished.”
Watford’s supporters have taken Ince back to their hearts this season. The sight of the man who left for Huddersfield Town in acrimonious circumstances in 2017 celebrating goals with the Rookery End has gone some way to healing old wounds. His iconic knee-slide celebration – a nod to his father’s famous celebration at Vicarage Road in the 1990s – has become a regular feature again.
For Cleverley, Ince represents the kind of squad player every promotion-chasing team needs: someone who understands the division, accepts rotation and can still turn a game in an instant. Whether that is enough to earn him a new contract remains to be seen, particularly with the club’s wage bill still under scrutiny following several years of heavy spending.
As January approaches, Watford find themselves in an enviable position – second in the Championship table, with momentum building and a squad that already looks capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in the division. Yet the fine margins of a promotion race mean that Cleverley and Manga are leaving no stone unturned.
A new midfielder would provide extra insurance. Another year of Tom Ince could provide continuity and proven quality in the final third. Together, they could be the difference between a valiant effort and a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
For now, the message from Vicarage Road is clear: ambition remains sky-high, both from the club’s recruitment team and from one of its most experienced campaigners still determined to prove he belongs at the top table.