New keeper makes Bachmann departure even more likely
The arrival of Nathan Baxter will almost certainly see the departure of fellow goalkeeper Dan Bachmann.
Despite some confusion among fans, first-choice keeper Egil Selvik is going nowhere this summer: the Norwegian international signed a three-and-a-half year contract in January when he moved from Udinese.
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That takes him through to the end of the 2027/28 season, and the club have the option to extend that by a further year.
'During the winter my contract ran out with my former club, so I was going to move,' he explained in an interview with The Watford Observer in March.
'I talked with a lot of clubs, both here in the Championship and in other places in Europe.
'Udinese came to me quite late actually, but we had good talks and they told me about the situation they have where they co-operate with Watford.
'They said there might be a possibility for me at Watford as well, it just came a bit earlier than I expected.
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'When Gian Luca Nani called me to ask about it I could have said no, but it was my decision.
'I felt good about Watford and it felt like a nice move.'
Selvik's arrival in January certainly made the Hornets stronger at the back - the 27-year-old kept six clean sheets in 16 games during the second half of the season, and has firmly established himself as the man in possession of the shirt.
While much attention, and indeed angst, was focussed on the club not giving Tom Cleverley an extra striker or another midfielder in the winter transfer window, they certainly provided him with a very good keeper.
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And now Baxter's arrival yesterday means Watford have three senior stoppers on their books, and so the departure of Bachmann seems the anticipated solution to having one of that trio watching each game from the stands.
The Hornets also have Alfie Marriott, who sat on the bench 10 times last season, and Myles Roberts – he had an impressive 21-game loan spell with Partick Thistle before spending the second half of the season at Bristol Rovers without making an appearance.
Then there are the likes of Jonathan Macaulay, Gabriel Ortelli and Roraigh Browne who shared Under-21 duties last season.
Bachmann, who will turn 31 next month, made 22 appearances last season but had clearly lost the trust of a lot of fans.
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He signed a new five-year contract in July 2023 and was named as captain by the then head coach Valerien Ismael.
His most recent appearance for the Hornets was on January 4 in the 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United, and that could well turn out to be his last as the Austrian will understandably want to play first-team football.
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