Watford Premier League 2015-16 preview: The new cast at Vicarage Road must hit the ground running

Last season

Championship: Second

FA Cup: Third round

League Cup: Second round

Top scorer: Troy Deeney (21)

Summer work

Watford have a very different way of doing business since the last time they were in the Premier League in 2007. There are 10 new faces at Vicarage Road, the most notable being ex-Tottenham midfielder Etienne Capoue, who has joined for a club record fee. Valon Behrami, once of West Ham, is back on these shores, while Jose Holebas arrives from Roma to shore up the defence along with another former Serie A stalwart in Uruguayan Miguel Britos. Marco Motta provides another option at the back, coming in from Juventus via a string of loan spells across Italy. Winger Steven Berghuis and former Atletico Madrid midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado provide some creativity further up the pitch.

Goalkeeper Giedrius Arlauskis, right back Allan Nyom and Sebastian Prodl has also been enlisted.Oh yeah, there's a new manager too, former Valencia and Atletico Madrid boss Quique Sanchez Flores.

Manager

There have been eight managers in six years at Watford, six of those under the Pozzo family following their takeover in 2012. Flores will be hoping of bucking that trend. The Spaniard comes in having enjoyed success at both ends of the managerial spectrum, having celebrated Europa League success with Atletico in 2010 and guiding Getafe to a comfortable 13<sup>th place finish in their first season in Spain's top flight in 2005. In his time, he has worked with the likes of Diego Forlan, Angel di Maria, Juan Mata and arrived in the country already speaking English fluently. The job at hand is an immensely difficult one, but Watford have a manager with real pedigree to lead the challenge.

Key player – Troy Deeney

Amid the huge turnover in player personnel at Vicarage Road, Watford's forward options look likely to remain as they were. The trio of Matej Vydra, Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney bagged 57 in the Championship last season, with 21 of those coming from the latter. Deeney has long been courted by Premier League sides but celebrated Watford's return to the top flight by signing a new five-year contract in July. He was inspirational last season and of the array of strikers to come up from the Championship this summer, he stands the best chance of replicating Charlie Austin's immediate impact in the top flight last season.

Expectations

Watford's biggest challenge will be maintaining their momentum of last season. But how do you do that with a squad of players and a manager who weren't their last season? The Pozzos will be expecting the club to remain in the top flight, but the sheer scale of change at the club may too much to handle.

IBTimes UK prediction: 18<sup>th

Watford have brought in some fine individuals but the task of bringing it all together in one season under the scrutiny of club owners may be too big of a task for Flores.