Watford supporters will hope manager Marco Silva has not been overly distracted by talk of a switch to Everton ahead of their Premier League clash with West Ham United – now under new management – on Sunday afternoon.
Silva was the subject of an approach from Everton earlier this week, but the Hornets board dug their heels in and made it clear that the Portuguese – who only moved to Vicarage Road in the summer – was going nowhere. Watford’s most recent encounter was a 3-2 defeat at Goodison Park, in which they let a two-goal lead slip and contrived to miss a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time, but it has still been a promising start to the campaign for the Hertfordshire outfit, who currently find themselves in ninth place in the standings ahead of their 12th match this weekend.
West Ham parted company with Slaven Bilic earlier this month following a 4-1 thrashing by Liverpool at the London Stadium; the former Croatia head coach has been under pressure for some time now, with the axe finally falling after the Hammers slipped into the relegation zone. David Moyes was the owners’ choice as Bilic’s successor and the Scot has been tasked with steadying the ship and pulling West Ham clear of the bottom three, but question marks remain over his suitability for the job following disappointing recent tenures at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.
Watford will be without Troy Deeney (suspension), Isaac Success, Nathaniel Chalobah, Craig Cathcart and Tommie Hoban (all knee), while Sebastian Prodl, Younes Kaboul, Roberto Pereyra and Heurelho Gomes will all be assessed before Sunday. West Ham, meanwhile, will be unable to call upon Sam Byram (thigh), James Collins (ankle) and Michail Antonio (rib), but Jose Fonte could return following an ankle issue and Javier Hernandez is hoping to shake off a hamstring injury in time to start.
It is difficult to know whether Everton’s interest in Silva will adversely affect Watford, while it is also not clear if Moyes will have had a positive impact on West Ham’s players at this early stage. This match will probably be tight, but home advantage could swing it in the Hornets’ direction.