Pundit pinpoints where Watford "might trip up" this season after transfer surprise | OneFootball

Adrian Clarke believes the decision to let the Dane leave could come back to haunt the Hornets this season

EFL pundit Adrian Clarke has cast doubt on whether Watford will have the firepower to maintain a promotion push this season, after Mileta Rajovic left the club to join Brondby at the start of the month.

The Danish striker was the club’s top scorer last season with ten league goals, and had already netted three times in all competitions before being allowed to leave Vicarage Road on a season-long loan on September 2nd.

The 25-year-old bagged the winner in the Hornets’ 3-2 victory over Millwall on the opening day of the season, before a match-winning brace in the League Cup second round win over Plymouth Argyle.

But despite his early goalscoring form, Tom Cleverley has seen it acceptable for the frontman to depart the club, leaving Clarke worried about their fortunes in front of goal for the months to come.

Adrian Clarke voices Watford FC concern after Mileta Rajovic departure

Watford have come flying out the blocks this season, with five straight league wins to begin the campaign, before heading into the international break off the back of a slender 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United.

That setback at Bramall Lane was the first time they had drawn a blank all season, with 15 goals in their first five matches proving what a devastating force they have been going forward under Cleverley’s stewardship.

That first goalless 90 minutes came in the first match that Rajovic didn’t feature in though, with the striker sat on the bench as his teammates failed to find the net, before departing for Denmark the next day.

With that in mind, Clarke is struggling to see where the goals will come from in the weeks and months to come for the Hertfordshire outfit, with Coventry City coming to town this Saturday.

Speaking on the ‘What the EFL?!’ Podcast, the pundit said: “Vakoun Bayo has made a move to Udinese and has been loaned straight back, it is a trademark Watford move.

“But they have only really got Daniel Jebbison, who is really a rookie - he has played for a number of clubs in his career and is currently on loan from Bournemouth - but that is kind of it.

“They let Mileta Rajovic go on loan to Brondby, which I found really surprising because he scored goals for them last season, he was their top scorer last season and scored in the opening day win at Millwall this season.

“They have loaned him to Brondby without really bringing in anyone that I can see that will take his place, so where Watford might trip up this season is goals.”

Watford FC still have attacking options to call upon

Despite Clarke’s insistence on the Hornets’ lack of options up top, Hornets fans will be confident that Cleverley knows what he is doing, having masterminded their strong start to the campaign.

Rajovic was seemingly let go as he didn’t fit into the former Manchester United man’s setup for the season ahead, with the likes of Jebbison and Bayo likely to have been preferred over the course of the campaign.

While Jebbison [pictured] still needs games under his belt after injury setbacks in the past couple of years, the likes of Rocco Vata and Kwadwo Baah are all waiting in the wings to play a more prominent role in the season ahead.

Having joined the club from Rochdale in the summer of 2021, 21-year-old Baah has only recently made his league debut for the Hornets, with his exciting talents on the flanks likely to cause havoc to opposing defenders when given the opportunity.

Vata is also a player tipped to have a bright future after joining from Celtic earlier this summer, and after getting glimpses of him in the League Cup so far this season, the 19-year-old will be looking to stake a claim for a starting spot before too long.

While the loss of Rajovic may be felt in the immediate short-term, Hornets fans will have every faith in Cleverley to have made the correct call with the Dane, as they look to continue their impressive start to the campaign this weekend.