Other Championship clubs have dipped into the free agent market since the transfer window shut, but Valerien Ismael is not keen or in any hurry to do so.

Queens Park Rangers signed USA international Reggie Cannon this week, and last season Watford brought in Leandro Bacuna in December after he had been released by Cardiff in July.

However, Ismael has strong doubts about doing the same.

“When the transfer window is closed, the free agent market is a difficult one,” he said.

“If you have to go to the free agent market then it is always an emergency case. It’s because something has happened, perhaps a big injury to one player or to a couple of players that wasn’t expected.

“From my side, that would be the only reason you would go to the free agent market.”

The Watford head coach said he would prefer, should he have the need, to look within the players currently at Vicarage Road.

“You have to find within your squad the solutions. It could be a young player, an academy player, a player who hasn’t played a lot,” he said.

“That then means you can wait for the next window.

“I’m not a big fan of the free agent market also because a new player has to fit with your training session rhythm and your game rhythm.

“A player who is a free agent will have none of both. They will need time to get built up, and the chances of that player getting injured as you do that is bigger.

“It all makes doing a deal more dangerous, especially if you need the player to be a regular starter.”

Ismael said there is alignment within the club that the next few months is a time for assessment and judgement of the current squad, ahead of any potential January transfer window activity.

“With the club, with the board, in our process we want to build something. We need three or four months to assess the players,” he explained.

“It’s clear at some point, when the January window comes along, we can take decisions.

“Everyone will have a chance and we will have a clear picture about the squad, and a clear picture about the players: which players fit our way, which players are able to do the job or not.

“Then we can address what we need.

“I’m not sure that you can get the player you want from the free agent market because if it’s a quality player you want he won’t be on the free agent market. He will be gone straight away.

“We are aligned with the board, we know the process, and we need the three or four months ahead of us to have a clear assessment of the squad.

“After that we can make strong decisions either to confirm our position, or to say it doesn’t work out so now we need to change – and we use the window to adjust what we need.”

Looking at tomorrow’s game with Middlesbrough at Vicarage Road, Ismael will be without winger Ken Sema for that fixture and most likely the two games next week as well.

“He is still out with his calf, and he hasn’t trained with the squad,” said the Watford boss.

“I think it will take another week until he can come back to the squad, and I didn’t expect him to be back before the international break.

“At the minute, everyone else is available for tomorrow. We are in a good position to pick a squad and there’s been high competitiveness in training.”