Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd has earmarked a defensive midfielder as his number one target in the January transfer window.The only piece of transfer activity so far has seen former skipper Gavin Mahon depart for QPR, but Boothroyd is hoping to bring in new blood - although he feels drastic changes are not needed to his squad, which currently sits second in the Championship.

He told the club's official website: "We have got a lot of similar players in midfield. A lot of whole-hearted, strong, athletic, fighting types.

"What we haven't got, because I've allowed Gavin to move on and Al Bangura is injured, is somebody who might be a bit more defensive.

"In an ideal world you want to get people on loan so you can watch them closely and assess their character. This time of year is a time for coolness. We don't need to go mad."

More Football News from TEAMtalk