In 1975, Scottish popsters Pilot enjoyed their sole UK No.1 with a song that refers to the month of the year but, as it turns out, was a love song penned about a girl using the name of a character in a book the writer’s wife was reading.
Notwithstanding that, the opening line above is very felicitous when thinking about that time of year as Christmas has come and gone, the days are cold, short and dark, and because many people get paid early in December finances are often stretched.
Naturally, January is a popular month for the media and supporters of football since it marks the start of the transfer window and all of the speculations, gossip, and player transactions that come with it.
Though for quite different reasons, it’s fair to say Watford’s last two January transfer windows have not been great.
During various press conferences in January 2023, Slaven Bilic, the head coach at the time, indicated his needs and desires by pointing to the positions of “midfield leader, winger, and striker” with three fingers.
Even after providing the club with a list of names, he thought the players were set to sign, only to discover that he was receiving something entirely different.
A excellent example would be the arrival of Hassane Kamara, Edo Kayembe, Samir, and Samuel Kalu at the club in a three-week period in January 2022.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I had never heard of any of them; you can choose who was and wasn’t successful for yourself.
Hence, past January transfer windows had all followed a similar pattern, with the current head coach frequently needing to quickly peruse Transfermarkt or Soccerbase to find out more about the young player who had just showed up at London Colney wearing his boots and a washbag.
It was an outgrowth of the shift in strategy that the team attempted to emphasise early in Valerien Ismael’s tenure—perhaps foolishly in retrospect.
After registering two victories, three draws, and five losses in his first ten league games, Ismael was granted an extension to his contract.
Rob Edwards began the previous year with three victories, five draws, two losses, and a P45.
The club wanted to send a clear message that things had changed, that they were dedicated to Ismael, and that they were done playing manager at the first sign of trouble. They did this by offering him a new contract.
Ismael was in charge of transfer negotiations at that period, which continued into January.
It’s hardly surprising that fans would choose to assume otherwise or that they know differently, considering the degree of commonly accepted disdain for the owner.
But Ismael gave the go-ahead for the most recent January transfer window, and as of 11 p.m. on February 1, when the window closed, the team, its members, its depth, and its alternatives were all things he approved.
I got to speak with him in his office at the training site in late November, away from the press conference.
He covered a lot of territory, including his goals for the next transfer window.
Watford hasn’t delegated this much authority over transfer negotiations to a head coach since, presumably, Walter Mazzarri in 2017—and this also applied to almost everything else. Ismael had a lot more “hands off” treatment from the Hornets hierarchy than those who came before him.
Ismael appeared to be content with the arrangement as well; he frequently mentioned how much he enjoyed having the board available for meetings at the training ground once a week and how they were far enough away that he didn’t feel like he was being micromanaged.
As a result, the team knew exactly what Ismael desired in a midfielder and defence going into January, as well as the names of those players.
It’s a little less evident what the striker problem is. When we spoke, he had expressed the opinion that the forward who needed to enter needed to move quickly.
Instead of a large No. 9 type, he was more interested in someone who could fill that position and was also skilled and quick enough to attack teams on the wings.
Since he had stated earlier in the summer that he had turned down the chance to sign Emmanuel Dennis, it was unexpected when the Nigerian showed up to the kind of fanfare usually reserved for astronauts returning from space travel.
Dennis, however, suited Ismael’s description, and even while playing him wide hasn’t helped or given the youngster the best opportunity to show off
It’s unclear if Dennis was the name he provided the club, if the club gave him the name, or if any other options were taken into account.
Regardless of the answers to any of those queries, it seemed wise to take a chance on a player who briefly shone in the Premier League, needed to refocus his career, and was prepared to suffer financially in order to return to a place he was loved.
The only thing that appeared off about him was that, like Bilic before him, he was obviously unfit. Ismael had mentioned needing a player who could come in today and play tomorrow.
Dennis played just 171 minutes after arriving on January 4.
It’s unclear if Dennis was the name he provided the club, if the club gave him the name, or if any other options were taken into account.
Regardless of the answers to any of those queries, it seemed wise to take a chance on a player who briefly shone in the Premier League, needed to refocus his career, and was prepared to suffer financially in order to return to a place he was loved.
He said that if he couldn’t find the proper person, he would rather not sign anyone at all and that even a 1% chance of uncertainty was too great.
Players that fit his description, either as first-team players or as younger Premier League players seeking playing time, were presented to him as alternatives to his two selections.
However, as of right now, no one else showed up, and as a result, Watford concluded January with a net loss of players and a thinner squad—something that appeared inconceivable and unforgivable—due to the exits of Rhys Healey, Imran Louza, and Jorge Hurtado (who subsequently sustained an injury).
And the head coach is ultimately responsible for that.
There are many of reasons why the people in charge of the club should be closely examined, evaluated, and possibly even chastised. Many people who read this will not want to give them the slightest leeway.
However, they granted Ismael authority, supported his decision in January, and, oddly, refrained from signing players for him.
They didn’t want him to fail, and they didn’t rush to give up on him, as evidenced by the amount of time they provided him during the most unpleasant of runs.
In the end, Ismael was the one who hanged himself.
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