Watford squad 2021/22: Full team for new Premier League season

Watford head coach Xisco Munoz
(Image credit: PA Images)

Championship runners-up Watford joined Norwich in making an instant return to the Premier League, and the Hornets will be buzzing to be back among the best.

They very nearly stayed up two years ago - only a final day defeat to Arsenal sent them down in the end - and started their 2020/21 campaign with one of the strongest squads the Championship had ever seen.

After a bumpy start - which saw Xisco Munoz replace Vladimir Ivic to become the club's fifth boss in 15 months - Watford lived up to their tag as one of the promotion favourites, winning 16 out of 23 games in the second half of the season to finish second.

The Hornets boasted the Championship's meanest defence, conceding only 30 goals, and they'll be hoping that bodes well for the season ahead - having gone down in 2019/20 with the second-worst goal difference in the top flight.

Danny Rose is in, although the former England left-back hasn't played since a loan spell at Newcastle the season before last, having been left out in the cold by Tottenham - with most of the new faces at the other end of the pitch.

Josh King - who shone at this level for Bournemouth - and Ashley Fletcher have joined after leaving Everton and Middlesbrough respectively, while Nigeria international Emmanuel Dennis arrives from Club Brugge.

Also keep an eye out for Juraj Kucka, who's come in on loan from Parma; the Slovakian midfielder might just have been the hardest-looking player at Euro 2020.

Watford's relegation brought an end to their longest stay in the top flight since the 80s - and they'll be hoping to prove that last season was just a brief trip away.

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster, Daniel Bachmann, Rob Elliot

Defenders: Jeremy Ngakia, William Troost-Ekong, Adam Masina, Craig Cathcart, Kiko Femenia, Christian Kabasele, Francisco Sierralta, Marc Navarro, Danny Rose, Matthew Pollock

Midfielders: Tom Cleverley, Ken Sema, Nathaniel Chalobah, Dan Gosling, Daniel Phillips, Imran Louza, Ignacio Pussetto, Peter Etebo, Kwadwo Baah, Juraj Kucka, Ozan Tufan, Moussa Sissoko

Forwards: Joao Pedro, Ismaila Sarr, Emmanuel Dennis, Ashley Fletcher, Josh King, Cucho Hernandez

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