Crisitano Giaretta's hard work has already begun ahead of Watford's return to the Premier League.

Searching for the right "profiles" that will improve the club's squad and make them competitive in the top flight is an arduous task, but one the Italian hopes will be made easier by the club retaining their best players.

Yesterday it was revealed that Joao Pedro has committed himself to the Hornets for the next six years, while it is understood that the club are increasingly confident of retaining Ismaila Sarr as well.

The sporting director told the Watford Observer that Watford are not in the market to sell their best players this summer.

"We want to keep the best players that we have in the squad," said Giaretta. "Sarr, Joao Pedro and the best players, or the players that we consider important for this team, we want to keep them. We are not in the market for selling our best players, we're just in the market for understanding how we can strengthen the team by signing good players, and especially signing players who we think can have an important chance at an important club.

"We trust in the sense of belonging of the players, it's very important, because on the pitch, you can give something more if you have this sense of belonging. We are in the market not for selling the best players, but for signing someone who can help us to survive in the Premier League."

Another player who looks to be staying for the upcoming season is club captain Troy Deeney, who Giaretta said is free to stay as long as he wants.

"Troy Deeney is an important person, first as a player, but also he's an important person for the club and for the changing room, and we missed him a lot this season," he said.

"Fortunately Troy was always close to the changing room and to his teammates. We never missed his presence or his charisma, or the adrenaline that he can give us in the changing room. He is the captain of the squad, he is a player who transmits that sense of belonging I spoke about before.

"Watford is his home. He can stay here however long he wants to stay."

Another big task Giaretta is undertaking is transforming the academy to a desirable one in which young players can develop into professionals.

The lack of youth graduates progressing to the first team is something the sporting director wants to change in the future.

"We want to transmit a message to the families who approach the academy, that there is a future in our first team," said Giaretta.

"We want to have a look at the academy because we want them to be aware that there is a future, and that the young players can go on to play for us after the Under 23s or Under 18s.

"First of all we can transmit that we are really focused on the talent within the academy, to give them the prospect to train and to play with us.

"This is one way we can improve the first team and already we have brought in many young players, the last one was Pochettino, and also Crichlow stayed with us for many games and many training sessions, but again we want to improve the mentality. We want to grow the players of our academy, to have a future with the first team."

Looking to the long term, Giaretta's goal is to consolidate the club in the Premier League and to present Watford as an important club within the top flight.

His first year at Vicarage Road was a happy one and he hopes it is just the beginning.

"I want to remain here and to work here for a long, long time," he said. "I would like to contribute with my experience, with my support and consolidate the club in the Premier League.

"I think that I can bring something and I can support the teammates and the manager. There is a very clear technical project for me.

"I consider this to be a very important club, it's not any club, and every one of us needs to consider it as the best option.

"The air that you breathe as soon as you put your foot in the training ground immediately is one that makes you say, 'Wow, I'm in a Premier League club' and we need to maintain this atmosphere. We need to maintain this attitude also towards the players, and anyone who will come and join Watford, be it players, human resources, employees, they all need to understand that we're not any club, we are a very important club."