"Desperately" - Watford FC urged to complete €10m striker signing ahead of Emmanuel Dennis deal | OneFootball

The Hornets are said to be closing in on an addition to their frontline before the transfer window shuts

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Watford FC look to be on the cusp of bringing extra firepower to the club this week, with a deal in principle agreed to bring Crvena zvezda forward Cherif Ndiaye to the club.

That’s according to the latest report from Serbian outlet Kurir, which claim that the Hornets have had a bid of €10m accepted for the 29-year-old, who has scored 15 goals in 25 matches in all competitions this season.

The Hertfordshire outfit have been looking to add extra bodies to their attacking lineup this winter, with Daniel Jebbison returning to AFC Bournemouth, while Vakoun Bayo and Mamadou Doumbia struggle to make much impact up top.

With the proposed deal for a new striker supposedly on the cards, we spoke to Football League World’s Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie about his thoughts on the latest transfer activity at Vicarage Road.

Watford FC reportedly close in on Cherif Ndiaye addition

According to the report from Serbia, negotiations regarding Ndiaye will be completed once the striker has featured in the final match of the first phase of the Champions League against Young Boys on Wednesday night.

While personal terms are yet to be agreed, the Hornets will be rubbing their hands together at the thought of another frontman to cause problems to the opposition’s backline, following a run of just one win in eight games in all competitions.

Vakoun Bayo’s four-goal haul in a 6-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday sees him lead the way in terms of Championship strikes this season, although the Ivorian has only scored once since Christmas, as his late equaliser earned a point on the road at Cardiff City.

While teenager Mamadou Doumbia tries in vain to offer support in the final third, the Hornets have been crying out for attacking additions of late, and Beattie is pleased they are finally making headway in that regard.

The Watford fan said on the situation: “While I am not going to pretend that I know anything about Cherif Ndiaye at Red Star, I do know that we need strikers, and we need them now.

“The January transfer window is only a few days away from closing, and our activity in the market has been non-existent.

“We desperately need forwards to come in; we have Mamadou Doumbia, who isn’t making very many appearances because he is still young, so his appearances are mainly coming in off the bench.

“Then we have Vakoun Bayo, who although he has scored ten goals this season, we have to remember that 40% of those came in one match, which is some achievement to score four goals in a game, but he isn’t a striker that isn’t going to do anything like that ever again.

“The eye test on him is one of bewilderment; he is a very frustrating player to watch, so we do need to strengthen up front.”

Fresh faces at Watford could help keep play-off dream alive

There has been something of an eerie atmosphere around Vicarage Road of late, with head coach Tom Cleverley’s future coming into question, although the club were quick to play down any speculation.

With victories proving hard to come after a solid start to the season, the Hornets look like a side in need of freshening things up around the training ground, with Ndiaye’s addition likely to help in that regard.

With links to former fan favourite Emmanuel Dennis circulating, and James Abankwah’s addition proving the Pozzo-Udinese link is still very much alive and kicking, Beattie is more enthused by the fact his club are looking in alternative markets than anything else.

He continued: “It doesn’t mean that we only need to go looking at Udinese only for options, or bringing back players that have played for us previously like Emmanuel Dennis.

“We are supposed to have a world class scouting network, and maybe that is where Cherif Ndiaye comes in.

“It would be good to see some new blood within the team, and not just off casts from Udinese.”