Beppe Sannino has praised Leeds United's new and controversial owner Massimo Cellino for his work at Italian club Cagliari.

Cellino's takeover of Leeds was confirmed yesterday and he was watching last night's 3-0 defeat to Watford from the directors' box.

The 57-year-old has a chequered past and was initially denied the right to buy a 75 per cent stake in Leeds due to an ongoing case in Italy for allegedly failing to pay import duty on a yacht.

Sannino and Cellino's paths have crossed in Italy and the Watford head coach said: "Yes I know him because he is president of Cagliari - from when my clubs Siena and Palermo played Cagliari.

"I am very happy for him because he is the kind of person that did a great job at Cagliari.

"He is now the boss of a club with a great history like Leeds and, in my opinion, he joined English football because he believes he can do a good job here.

"There have been coaches and players who have come from Italy and now we have some owners from Italy. English football is very attractive."