Watford

Watford are in talks to sign Udinese midfielder Sandi Lovric.

The central defender is in line to become the Hornets' 11th summer signing. (Sport Witness), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Image source, Getty Images

To say it was an afternoon of ups and downs for Imran Louza on Saturday may well be an understatement.

The Watford midfielder made his 100th appearance for the club against QPR, and for 90 minutes he was absolutely sensational.

His ability to dictate the tempo of the game will delight new manager Paulo Pezzolano, while the fans will have enjoyed his Maradona-esque spin on the halfway line, taking out three QPR players in the process.

But like Maradona, Louza possesses the occasional moment of madness.

In this case, a lunging, wayward tackle a couple of minutes before the end resulted in a needless straight red card, leaving his side clinging on.

Watford's 2024-25 player of the season may well still leave the club before the window closes.

But should he stay, expect plenty more of the same, both good and bad.

Paulo Pezzolano felt Watford's 2-1 victory against QPR was an important morale-booster for his players.

It was the Hornets' first win since Pezzolano took over as head coach this summer, when he replaced Tom Cleverley.

"I'm very happy, especially for the players because they needed this," Pezzolano told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"You need these victories to sustain the process. What's important to us is to build the process - for the players to understand what we want and how we're going to do it. That's a long process and it's a long season.

"In the second half, even though we had to go back a little bit, the opponent didn't have clear chances and we could have scored more goals.

"When we control the game we control the game, but if not then we have to know how to suffer."

Watford are away to Swansea next Saturday in their next Championship match.

New Queens Park Rangers signing Richard Kone could make his debut this Saturday (15:00 BST) as they travel to Watford.

The former Wycombe Wanderers striker was highly sought after but has been snapped up by the Hoops as they go in search of their first win of the season.

Watford are also looking for their first victory after an opening loss to Charlton.

• Watford have won just two of their last 11 league games against QPR (D3 L6), a run which has seen the Hornets net multiple goals in just three of those matches.

• QPR have failed to win and failed to score in each of their last two away league games against Watford (D1 L1), last enduring a longer winless run at Vicarage Road between 1998 and 2005 (L4).

• After losing 1-0 to Charlton last weekend, Watford will be looking to avoid losing each of their opening two games of a second tier campaign for the first time since 2003-04.

• QPR finished last season by winning each of their final three Championship away games in succession, last enjoying a longer winning run on the road between November 2021 and January 2022 (run of four).

• On MD1 of the Championship, only Sheffield Wednesday (6) faced more big chances than Watford (4), while no side lost possession in their own defensive third more often than QPR (6).

Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano says that he will "never allow" a lack of energy from his side following their 2-1 EFL Cup loss to Norwich City on Tuesday.

The Hornets clawed one back in the second half through Kwadwo Baah but were unable to overcome a two-goal deficit from the opening 24 minutes.

"The lack of energy that we will never allow, it's something basic we all need to have in life," Pezzolano told BBC Radio 3CR.

"We want to keep what we saw in the second half, we want to be that team.

"What's important is that the team is going forward, what's important we need to keep going forward and hopefully see more of what we saw in the second half."

Listen to the full post-match interview with Pezzolano on BBC Sounds.

Watford assistant manager Valon Behrami says the Hornets are not worried about a lack of experience in the squad, saying the club's young guns are stepping up.

On-loan Manchester City defender Max Alleyne, 20, followed Nestory Irankunda and Othmane Maamma, who are both 19, Vivaldo Semedo, 20, Caleb Wiley, 20 and Luca Kjerrumgaard, 22, through the door this summer.

"We are very happy about the signings so far, it's true we have many young players but in football you can find leadership even in a 20-year-old," Behrami told BBC 3CR.

"I can see a lot of younger players starting to become more vocal. If you bring in a 30-year-old it doesn't mean he has leadership or experience, most of the time either you have it inside or not.

"We have some personalities who can come up, they have taken charge, but the market is still open, we will look around until the very last minute of the transfer window."

Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano says his side can do better after their late 1-0 loss at Charlton Athletic.

Harvey Knibbs' stoppage-time winner ensured the home side took all three points as Watford failed to register a meaningful effort on target.

"We wanted the three points. We wanted to win the match, but today it went their way with the set-piece in that last moment," Pezzolano told BBC Three Counties.

"The most important thing is that we have a young team that fought very well and it's going to grow.

"It is what it is and we're just looking forward to the next one."

Just 76 days after beating Leyton Orient at Wembley in the League One Play-off Final, Charlton will play their first Championship game in more than five years as they welcome Watford to The Valley (12:30 BST).

Nathan Jones' side finished fourth in the third tier last year and have lost only twice at home in the league since the Welshman was appointed as Addicks boss in February 2024.

In the opposite dugout, Uruguayan coach Paolo Pezzolano will take charge of his first Hornets game after replacing Tom Cleverley at the helm in May after his side slumped to finish 14th in the Championship standings.

• Charlton Athletic and Watford last faced one another in any competition back in January 2015, a game won 5-0 by the Hornets at Vicarage Road.

• The last time Charlton and Watford met in their opening league match of the season was back in 1926-27 in the Third Division South, a game the Hornets won 1-0.

• This is Charlton's first Championship match since July 2020, when they lost 4-0 to Marcelo Bielsa's title-winning Leeds team at Elland Road. They haven't lost their opening league game in any of their last five seasons as a newly promoted team (W2 D3).

• Watford have won their opening league game of the season in each of the last five seasons, the only side to achieve that feat in the top four tiers of English football since 2020-21.

• Including play-offs, Charlton forward Matty Godden scored 19 League One goals last season, 12 more than any other Addicks player. He has gone 18 Championship appearances without scoring, however, all for Coventry in the 2023-24 campaign, last netting at this level in November 2023 against Millwall.

Geoff Doyle
BBC 3CR sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

The loan signing of Manchester City defender Max Alleyne is another example of Watford recruiting young talent.

All of the Hornets signings this summer have been in their 20s with some even younger with the likes of Nestory Irankunda and Othmane Maamma, who are both 19, joining Vivaldo Semedo, 20, Caleb Wiley, 20 and Luca Kjerrumgaard, 22 in the squad.

Can these players step up and prove they can be consistent Championship players?

If you bear in mind that last season Mamadou Doumbia, 19, Ryan Andrew, 20, Rocco Vata, 20, James Abankwah, 21, Kevin Keben, 21, Kwadwo Baah, 22, and Mattie Pollock, 23, were all squad regulars, it is clear this is an energetic young group being formed.

But is there enough experience? How will they cope in tricky situations?

In defence Alleyne joins Pollock, Abankwah and Keben as the centre-back options. All of them are under 24.

Pollock featured the most last season and improved considerably.

Abankwah caught the eye after joining in January. He can make the game look simple but sometimes his overconfidence can cause him some problems. Keben also showed promise.

Watford have cleared out the defensive deadwood with Francisco Sierralta, Ryan Porteous, Joao Ferreira and Antonio Tikvic all going for fees which represents good business.

But it's the youngsters who are going to be the intriguing ones this season, particularly in defence and attack.

Moussa Sissoko, Tom Ince, Edo Kayembe, Imran Louza and Hector Kyprianou offer the Hornets experience. They are all midfielders.

Watford currently resemble a hamburger with an array of young talent filling the defence and attack 'buns' and wiser older heads making up the burger in the middle.

It could be some tasty meal this season, or something less appetising.

Image source, Rex Features

Watford defender Joao Ferreira has signed for French second division side Saint-Étienne.

The 24-year-old, who has been with the Hornets since January 2023, has moved for an undisclosed fee.

The Portuguese right-back has not played for the club since April of that year and has spent the past two seasons out on loan.

Ferreira made 35 appearances in Italy's Serie A for Udinese during 2023-24 and then spent last term in Portugal's top flight with SC Braga.

Image source, Getty Images

Defender Ryan Porteous has completed a £752,000 ($1million) move from Watford to Los Angeles FC.

The centre-back made 82 appearances for the Hornets after joining them from Scottish Premiership club Hibernian in January 2023, and spent the the second half of last season on loan at Preston North End.

Scotland international Porteous, who has 13 caps, has signed a three-year contract with the Major League Soccer club, with an option for another year.

"We're excited to welcome Ryan to LAFC. He brings competitiveness, leadership qualities, and the type of mentality we value at this club," said LAFC co-president John Thorrington.

"His experience at both the international and club level, along with his defensive intensity and ability to play out of the back, will be a great addition to our group as we push toward our goals this season."

Watford midfielder Hector Kyprianou says he has been inspired by working amongst world-class players ahead of the new Championship season with the Hornets.

Midfielder Giorgi Chakvetadze and forward Kwadwo Baah are two of those he's keen to play alongside when the season gets underway.

"I'm glad I'm playing on [Giorgi's] team now rather than against him. I've seen Baah's pace it's frightening, can cause anyone problems," he told BBC Radio Three Counties Radio.

This season Kyprianou steps up to the Championship after leaving League One Peterborough United for Hertfordshire, but believes under the leadership of recently appointed head coach Paulo Pezzolano, Watford are capable of a promotion push.

'I've always known them as a Premier League team."

"[Pezzolano] winning titles in other countries creates a big buzz around the training ground."

Watford travel to newly promoted Charlton in Saturday's early kick-off for their opening game of the Championship season and Kyprianou believes the playing squad must adopt the right mindset to get their season off to a winning start.

"I play for Watford now and we're expected to be winning those games."

Listen to the full interview with Hector Kyprianou and more on BBC Sounds.