Watford sign ex-Peterborough midfielder Kyprianou

Watford have signed midfielder Hector Kyprianou on a five-year deal following the expiry of his contract with Peterborough United.

The 23-year-old Cyprus international s on a free transfer and is the Hornets' first g since the appointment of Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as head coach,

Kyprianou made 140 appearances for Peterborough, scoring 16 goals, including the second in their 2-0 EFL Vertu Trophy final win over Birmingham City at Wembley in April.

The deal will be completed on 1 June.

"It's a historic club, a massive club that matches my ambitions, which is to play as high as possible and to reach the Premier League," Kyprianou told the club website., external

"One of the reasons I ed is that they showed quite a lot of interest in me for a while, and for me that adds a lot of value.

"To know that they wanted me is a huge positive. Paulo sent me a message to say 'welcome' and we're looking forward to working with each other."

Kyprianou spent time in Tottenham Hotspur's youth set-up before making the short move to Leyton Orient in 2019.

He made his English Football League debut in December of that year and played 79 games for Orient before being sold to Peterborough for an undisclosed fee three years ago.

His senior international debut came against Norway in 2023 and he has won 10 Cyprus caps so far.

"Once the season ended, we asked Peterborough for permission to speak to Hector and we thank them for their cooperation in agreeing to this," said Watford sporting director Gian Luca Nani.

"Hector fits the demands Paulo has for his players - intensity and a high technical and tactical awareness."

Watford finished 14th in the Championship this season, which led to the sacking of former head coach Tom Cleverley.