Beppe Sannnino: Watford boss has 'higher' targets

Sannino won 10 of his 29 games in charge last season

Watford boss Beppe Sannino has said his side's heavy recruitment over the summer has raised the expectation of winning promotion.

The Italian is taking charge of his first full season in the Championship, after bringing in 11 players to Vicarage Road over the summer.

He told BBC Three Counties Radio: "The club has put their targets higher.

"We know the club has made a big investment. We will do all we can to win the Championship."

Sannino, a former Siena and Palermo head coach, replaced Gianfranco Zola in December and went on to take the Hornets to a 13th-place finish last season.

It has been two years since the Italian Pozzo family, who also own Granada and Udinese, took ownership of Watford and their policy of taking players from within their network of clubs, as well as the rest of Europe, has continued.

Striker Matej Vydra has returned from Udinese, along with Odion Ighalo, while Jaun Carlos Paredes has arrived from Granada, as has Essaid Belkalem, although the Algerian has gone straight out on loan to Trabzonspor.

Parma pair Daniel Toszer and Gianni Munari have also come in on loan from Parma.

And along with the signings of Heurelho Gomes, Craig Cathcart, Gabriel Tamas, Lloyd Dyer and Keith Andrews, there is an expectation for the Hornets to succeed this term.

"I am always under pressure. This is my work, it's my job," said Sannino.

"I want to take the pressure off the players and for them to pay with freedom.

"I feel the players I have are very, very good. They are men."