Abdi and Angella have ‘possibility’ to make cut but doubts over Vydra and Forestieri

Quique Sanchez Flores has suggested there could be a future for Gabriele Angella and Almen Abdi under his watch and admitted that the difficult process of trimming his squad and releasing players troubles his conscience.

Angella told one fan after Sunday’s game with Southampton that he had been told his immediate future lies away from Vicarage Road but that situation is likely to have been revisited after a rusty Miguel Britos was sent off on Tuesday in a Capital One Cup game where Angella was arguably the pick of a poor bunch. Abdi, meanwhile, was an unused substitute against Southampton and the fact scouts turned up at Deepdale, on a rainy Tuesday night, to specifically watch him suggests they had been made aware of his availability. One source told us this morning he had been told the Hornets were receptive to offers for Abdi, Fernando Forestieri and Matej Vydra.

Sanchez Flores extolled the virtues of both Angella and Abdi this morning but when asked to confirm if their names will be officially submitted to the Premier League next week as part of Watford’s squad, the head coach said:

“We have to think how many players we have in this position. Good players are always in my mind. They have the possibility to go to the list.”

It seemed like a no-brainer that Abdi would be one of the 17 designated foreign players, especially after he signed a new three-year contract last month, but doubts still linger, despite the head coach heaping huge praise on the Switzerland international. Sometimes these decisions are not in the hands of a coach, particularly the model Watford use and particularly with three more foreign players on the way.

“I love Abdi,” he said. “I like this kind of player and I would like to have him in the squad. I watch him during pre-season and the matches of last year and this is kind of player who understands the play and who can play different positions. He can play in the middle, he can play on the side, he can play in the diamond. I need this kind of player.”

Angella, meanwhile, could have been been thrown a lifeline through a combination of Britos being sent off and him performing well at Deepdale.

“Angella was really, really good,” said the head coach. “This is a good example of what we want. He’s one of the players not playing but he is learning everything and when he goes to the pitch he shows he is ready to play in this system.”

The well-mannered and extremely polite Sanchez Flores is a hard-nosed coach who is very clear, sometimes stubborn, on his principles and his beliefs. However, he showed his softer side this morning when discussing the possibility of having to tell more than half-a-dozen players they are not part of his plans and are free to find another club.

“I suffer a bit for the players as it is difficult to train with the 30 players one week before the market finishes,” he said. “There are a lot of players in the squad who we are not certain we will keep. They need to solve their futures. It is not comfortable for me, I’m not happy at the moment but we expect this situation. I hope everything is solved this week: the players we can keep, the players who stay and that the players who come, come in finally, and the players who have to go, go to a good team and try to carry on with their career. It is important. It is not a good moment for me. The person is as important as the player; they have family, they have kids. We have to solve this as soon as possible. Some could go on loan but I want to solve this as soon as possible. They are training well, training like professionals but is it not fair. But this is football.”

Is it any easier for Gino Pozzo, who showed his ruthless streak several times, not least when jettisoning Sean Dyche, Beppe Sannino, Billy McKinlay and not renewing the contract of Slavisa Jokanovic?

“It is uncomfortable for Mr Pozzo, too, because he has the best relationship with some of the players,” said Sanchez Flores. “Mr Pozzo is working with these players for four years, in some cases. I am talking about them not as their coach but as human beings. We need to solve this situation.”

We told you exclusively on July 28 that Lloyd Dyer was free to find another club while the futures of Daniel Pudil and Essaid Belkalem have been known for some time.

“They are players we are trying to put in other teams as soon as possible,” confirmed the head coach.

The situation has been less clear on Vydra and Forestieri. Doubts about exactly where they feature in the plans of the former Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Benfica coach have grown by the day and, as we revealed last week, they will be sold if the club’s valution is met and a replacement for Vydra, in particular, is found.

“Everybody knows they are in this situation,” Sanchez Flores said. “Maybe we can keep them, maybe they can go out. I don’t know what the final situation is with these players. They are training very well and we will see in one week if they will be here with me.”

Vydra looks set to be replaced by a striker more suited to Sanchez Flores’ system. Read more below.

TRANSFER LATEST: 'We need a striker & I know the France U21 midfielder' says #watfordfc coach http://t.co/8xLvJhPioK pic.twitter.com/m45wHoYUWx — WD Sport (@WDSport_) August 27, 2015

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