New Watford manager Sean Dyche has confirmed he will have money to spend on bringing players into the club.

Dyche also revealed he turned down Malky Mackay’s offer of becoming assistant manager at Cardiff City to become the new Hornets boss.

The 39-year-old was assistant manager under Mackay at Vicarage Road but following the Scot’s departure to Wales on Friday, new Watford owner Laurence Bassini moved swiftly to offer Dyche the top job to stop him leaving for south Wales.

Dyche told Talksport: “Malky wanted me to go with him [to Cardiff] and there was a window between when Malky took the job and then a window when they came back and spoke to me.

“Fortunately for me, as it has turned out, Laurence Bassini, the owner, got it contact with me and said “look, why do you want to go? Why don't you at least talk to us?”

“We had a conversation with the board and then obviously they had to consider other people and speak to the people and then fortunately for me, they decided on the right man.

“So that was great news and it gives me a chance and a platform to go and experience what it is to be a manager.”

Dyche will be without two of his leading attackers next season after the club sold Danny Graham and Will Buckley while Mackay was still in charge.

But the new Hornets boss believes the £3.5m they received for Graham from Swansea City and the £1m for Brighton and Hove Albion’s Will Buckley were “fantastic” deals for the club.

He said: “Danny Graham was a no-brainer obviously as everyone in the world would know. It was £3.5m, which is fantastic for Danny and fantastic for the club, so there's no way we could have affected that.

“Will Buckley was slightly different, although yet again, was a young player we brought in not very long ago, we've helped develop him and he moved on for fantastic money for a club like Watford.”

Graham was arguably the biggest character in the dressing room and his absence will leave big shoes to fill, not just on the pitch but off it as well.

Dyche acknowledged the Hornets need to bring in more experience and said there will be money to spend.

He said: “There is scope for me to obviously strengthen, we know we have to do that and we know we are light on experience.

“We are not naive enough to know that needs to change and there will be money available to make that happen.

“I wouldn’t have taken the job unless I thought we could move forward, like we have been doing in the last couple of years.”

The former Millwall and Nottingham Forest centre half was extremely upbeat when asked about the challenges that face Watford moving forward.

He acknowledged it will be difficult but stressed it was important Watford kept their “one-club mentality.”

Dyche said: “Everyone understands the position Watford is in. The fans have been fantastic, they understand.

“The one thing we are looking to continue building is we do feel we've got a one-club mentality. Everyone is realistic about the club – what we are, what our intentions are and what we can be.”