Watford start the New Year with an immediate headache and also a potentially longer-term problem over two strikers currently on their books.

Steve Kabba is due to return to the Hornets today (Friday) after his six-month loan spell at Blackpool was ended, while there is some concern at Vicarage Road over the long-term future of Nathan Ellington following Paul Jewell’s resignation as Derby County manager on Monday.

Watford though, are hopeful that Kabba’s second stint at the club could turn out to be a short one after he scored two goals in 17 appearances following his temporary move to Bloomfield Road in July.

The Watford Observer understands that the striker’s agent is attempting to find another club for his charge, as the Hornets are keen to get him off their wage bill.

But a bigger problem could concern Ellington, whose season-long loan move to Pride Park is due to be made permanent at the end of the season.

The Watford striker made no secret of his desire to link up again with his former Wigan Athletic boss Jewell when he joined the Rams in May.

However, fears have been expressed that the deal could now be in jeopardy following Jewell’s decision to call time on his Derby career after just 13 months at the helm in the wake of Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Ipswich Town, a result that left County 18th in the Championship, just one place and two points ahead of the Hornets.

The Rams have an exclusive option to sign the 27-year-old on a permanent basis and it was thought they were almost certain to exercise this, unless the forward picked up a serious injury.

But while the striker has been instrumental in leading Derby to the Carling Cup semi-finals with six goals in four ties, his league form has been less impressive.

The former West Bromwich Albion player has been involved in every one of the Rams’ games, but has started only half of them and scored just three times.

There is now the possibility that the new Derby boss – a post with which the manager who failed to get the best out of him at Vicarage Road, Aidy Boothroyd, has been widely linked – may decide not to make the deal permanent.

This could present Watford with a major problem, given Ellington’s £500,000 a year salary at a time when they are likely to still be seeking to reduce costs.

However, there are other options open to both Derby and Watford this summer.

Given the Rams have already paid a loan fee in the region of £1m and they can make the move permanent for free, they could take up their option and then try and sell the striker themselves.

Alternatively, Ellington could return to the Hornets, who could then effectively seek to sell the player for a second time.

The striker moved to Vicarage Road for a club record £3.25m from the Baggies in August 2007, but scored just four times in 21 starts after signing a four-year deal.