Andros Townsend remains hopeful he will be allowed to leave Tottenham on loan during this transfer window after the club rejected a £10million bid from Watford.

Spurs turned down the offer from their Premier League rivals earlier this month and at present, chairman Daniel Levy is sticking to his £14m valuation of the England winger.

Yet with Townsend excluded at Tottenham – it appears unlikely that the 24-year-old will play for head coach Mauricio Pochettino again - there is quiet confidence in his camp that Spurs will eventually agree to release him. They accept, though, that this might not happen until shortly before the window closes on February 1.

Standard Sport understands that Townsend would prefer to move on loan, rather than permanently, for the rest of the season, and that Watford is his first choice.

West Brom have also shown a strong interest but Townsend is believed to be impressed by Quique Sanchez Flores’ work at Vicarage Road and would be keen to play for the Spaniard.

Flores wants Townsend to do the job that first earned him a place in the England squad in 2013 — operating with pace on either flank, primarily the right, and creating chances for forwards Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo. The Watford manager said today: “He has the characteristics we are looking for.

“We have players in the side who can play intelligent football but we need skill and players with velocity.”

The sticking point between Townsend and Spurs may be the nature of the eventual transfer.

For Townsend, a loan deal would be ideal because it would give him time to force his way back into the England squad for Euro 2016, before considering his options in the summer.

Spurs would rather sell to extract the maximum possible price for Townsend.

Watford are also making fine progress in the Premier League following promotion last season. After 20 games, the Hornets are ninth, just four points adrift of fifth-placed Manchester United.

Steve McClaren is also an admirer of Townsend but it is thought the priority for the Newcastle boss this month is to strengthen other areas of his team.

Rather than Levy’s valuation, the sticking point between Townsend and Tottenham might be the nature of the eventual transfer.

For Townsend, a loan deal would be the ideal solution because it would give him time to force his way back into the England squad for Euro 2016, before considering his options in the summer.

Tottenham vs Leicester - FA Cup player ratings 12 show all Tottenham vs Leicester - FA Cup player ratings 1/12 Michel Vorm: 5 A nervy clearance and a failure to hold Okazaki’s shot summed up a display that may have Spurs fans worrying what may happen if Hugo Lloris picks up an injury. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images 2/12 Kieran Trippier: 5 Full of running up and down the flank, but unlike his rival Kyle Walker the quality rarely seems there. He had a lot of the ball but rarely did much with it. 3/12 Kevin Wimmer: 6 Impressed with the ball at his feet, picking out several good passes for the marauding full-backs, none more so than Rose. 4/12 Toby Alderweireld: 4 Should have done much, much more than allow Wasilewski to outmuscle him at a corner as Leicester drew level. It was one of two critical errors from the senior defender, who was deceived by Okazaki for Leicester’s second. 5/12 Danny Rose: 6 Captain for the day and he took plenty of responsibility for Tottenham’s attacking play. He kept the dangerous Dyer pinned back with his own sallies forward, though his final delivery was at times lacking. 6/12 Eric Dier: 6 In an end-to-end cup tie Dier’s brand of calm, reliable football was not always what Spurs needed, reflected by Pochettino’s decision to substitute him early. 7/12 Tom Carroll: 5 Never quite looks capable of filling in for Dembele or Alli in the middle of the park, he was ponderous on the ball, contributing little to attack or defence. It was no surprise he was hooked for Bentaleb early on. 8/12 Nacer Chadli: 5 Seemed to be showing the signs of an exhausting festive period despite not exactly being a regular starter. A few direct runs suggested promise but Chadli rarely went beyond that. 9/12 Christian Eriksen: 6 His early goal likely settled some nerves after what had been a disappointing recent run by the playmaker. His touch was far better and he revelled in the space Leicester often provided him. 10/12 Josh Onomah: 6 Seemed to pop up everywhere in a bright display, playing a crucial role in the game’s opener. Visibly struggled in the second half as tiredness seemed to afflict him, but he offered enough early on to suggest Pochettino can rely on him. 11/12 Heung-min Son: 5 Evidently not a centre-forward, he was dealt with manfully by Wasilewski and Benalouane. He does not have the blistering pace to get in behind nor the physicality to win aerial balls against two centre-backs. Pochettino needs another striker. 12/12 Harry Kane: 6 Tasked with offering Spurs a presence upfront and did little in his first 15 minutes. But with the pressure on he secured the replay with a well-taken penalty. 1/12 Michel Vorm: 5 A nervy clearance and a failure to hold Okazaki’s shot summed up a display that may have Spurs fans worrying what may happen if Hugo Lloris picks up an injury. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images 2/12 Kieran Trippier: 5 Full of running up and down the flank, but unlike his rival Kyle Walker the quality rarely seems there. He had a lot of the ball but rarely did much with it. 3/12 Kevin Wimmer: 6 Impressed with the ball at his feet, picking out several good passes for the marauding full-backs, none more so than Rose. 4/12 Toby Alderweireld: 4 Should have done much, much more than allow Wasilewski to outmuscle him at a corner as Leicester drew level. It was one of two critical errors from the senior defender, who was deceived by Okazaki for Leicester’s second. 5/12 Danny Rose: 6 Captain for the day and he took plenty of responsibility for Tottenham’s attacking play. He kept the dangerous Dyer pinned back with his own sallies forward, though his final delivery was at times lacking. 6/12 Eric Dier: 6 In an end-to-end cup tie Dier’s brand of calm, reliable football was not always what Spurs needed, reflected by Pochettino’s decision to substitute him early. 7/12 Tom Carroll: 5 Never quite looks capable of filling in for Dembele or Alli in the middle of the park, he was ponderous on the ball, contributing little to attack or defence. It was no surprise he was hooked for Bentaleb early on. 8/12 Nacer Chadli: 5 Seemed to be showing the signs of an exhausting festive period despite not exactly being a regular starter. A few direct runs suggested promise but Chadli rarely went beyond that. 9/12 Christian Eriksen: 6 His early goal likely settled some nerves after what had been a disappointing recent run by the playmaker. His touch was far better and he revelled in the space Leicester often provided him. 10/12 Josh Onomah: 6 Seemed to pop up everywhere in a bright display, playing a crucial role in the game’s opener. Visibly struggled in the second half as tiredness seemed to afflict him, but he offered enough early on to suggest Pochettino can rely on him. 11/12 Heung-min Son: 5 Evidently not a centre-forward, he was dealt with manfully by Wasilewski and Benalouane. He does not have the blistering pace to get in behind nor the physicality to win aerial balls against two centre-backs. Pochettino needs another striker. 12/12 Harry Kane: 6 Tasked with offering Spurs a presence upfront and did little in his first 15 minutes. But with the pressure on he secured the replay with a well-taken penalty.

Spurs, on the other hand, would rather sell this month to try to extract the maximum possible price for Townsend, a Spurs fan who has been with the club since the age of eight.

Their stance was similar with Aaron Lennon, another winger, this time last year. Lennon was, however, ultimately allowed to join Everton on loan last January before he completed a £7million move in the summer.

Townsend has not played for Tottenham since the 2-1 Europa League defeat at Anderlecht on October 22. He has effectively been frozen out since an altercation with club fitness coach Nathan Gardiner during a warm-down session that followed Spurs’ 3-1 win over Aston Villa on November 2, when Townsend was an unused substitute.

Townsend apologised and was banished from the first-team squad for the following games against Anderlecht (at home) and Arsenal. Although he was then reintroduced, there appears little chance of Pochettino changing his mind.

To keep himself sharp, Townsend has been playing for the club’s Under-21 side and scored twice in last night's 5-4 defeat by Chelsea.