'Need to prove myself in Championship' - Kyprianou

New Watford signing Hector Kyprianou believes he has what it takes to be a hit in the Championship.

The 23-year-old midfielder has signed a five-year deal at Vicarage Road following the expiry of his contract with Peterborough United.

"When I was a little kid, I used to stick on the Championship games on TV and my dad used to say to me 'can you imagine playing in one of those games?' so to finally be here, I'm really looking forward to it," Kyprianou told BBC 3CR.

Double Wembley winner

Cyprus international Kyprianou joined the Hornets in May and became head coach Paulo Pezzolano's first summer signing.

"For me, it was important to come and show everyone my abilities and my strengths so I can gain respect in the changing room," he said.

"I also need to prove myself in the Championship as it's a new level for me."

Kyprianou was a Wembley hero for his previous club Peterborough United. He skippered the side and scored the second goal in their 2-0 EFL Trophy final win over Birmingham City in April.

He was also part of the team that won the competition in the 2023-24 campaign.

"It was the best moment of my career," Kyprianou said of winning at the national stadium as a captain.

"We won the first time around at Wembley and it was quite tight. Going into the game against Birmingham, they were the favourites by far and to score the goal and lift the trophy at Wembley, it's a day I will always remember."

In total, Kyprianou made 140 appearances for Posh over three seasons, scoring 16 goals.

Hector Kyprianou captained Peterborough United when they won the EFL Trophy in April 2025

Running in the family

Team-mates have already been impressed with Kyprianou's running abilities in pre-season training - something he says, no pun intended, that runs in the family.

"My grandad used to be a runner, he used to run for GB, possibly I got his genetics, so I'm lucky in that aspect," he added.

The target for Watford this season is to return to the Premier League for the first time since the 2021-22 season but they have finished outside the top 10 places in the Championship for the past three campaigns.

"The owners made it clear to me that the ambition is to get back into the Premier League, which aligned with my ambition," Kyprianou said.

"That's the level I want to be playing at, eventually. In my opinion we can really be challenging in the top half of the table."