Watford head coach Rob Edwards has revealed that the club will be looking to sign one or two homegrown players in the current transfer window.

Championship sides will have to name seven homegrown players as part of an 18-man squad for all of their league fixtures next season.

Whereas Watford have managed to bolster their squad this summer by swooping for Vakoun Bayo and Rey Manaj, neither of these players fit the aforementioned criteria.

Bayo joined the Hornets from Belgian outfit Sporting Charleroi earlier this month whilst Manaj recently sealed a switch from Barcelona.

Homegrown players do not necessarily have to be British as individuals who have featured for a club in England or Wales for three years prior to the age of 21 are also deemed to meet this rule.

With the window set to be open until the start of September, it will be interesting to see whether Watford are able to nail their recruitment.

Ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, Edwards has admitted that the Hornet are aiming to recruit some homegrown players.

Speaking to the Watford Observer, Edwards said: "We know where we’re at with the squad and I've talked about the importance of having homegrown players in the squad.

"I’m working on that in order to get the balance right and deliver a team that is more than competitive.

"I’ve said previously I don’t want to be in a position where I’m having to worry about who I pick because I don’t want to be leaving people out totally."

Edwards later added: "There is a lot [of] hard work going on behind the scenes to work on that, and certainly one or two homegrown players will need to come in.

"Even then, it may mean we have to move on a couple of non-homegrown players.

"That will all be done jointly by me and the recruitment team."

The Verdict

Given that Watford will need to adhere to this particular rule, it wouldn't be at all surprising if they secure the services of some players from Football League clubs in the coming weeks.

With the Hornets set to face Sheffield United on August 1st, they will need to act quickly when it comes to identifying and then swooping for targets.

Keen to bring a feel-good factor back to Vicarage Road following what was a dismal 2020/21 campaign, Edwards could potentially guide Watford to a relative amount of success later this year if he gets his recruitment spot-on this summer.

Considering that Edwards has suggested that the club may also have to sanction departures for some of their non-homegrown players, it will be intriguing to see who they are willing to part ways with.