Watford have made Werder Bremen defender Sebastian Prodl their first signing since winning promotion to the Premier League.

The 27-year-old centre-back joins the Hornets with his contract at the Weserstadion set to expire this summer. Prodl, who stands 6ft 4ins tall, has won 49 full caps for Austria since making his debut in 2007.

Prodl boasts Champions League and Europa League experience from his time at the Bundesliga club, with whom he spent seven years.

And Prodl, who has made 12 appearances in the Champions League, was also part of the Austria side which joint-hosted the 2008 European Championships with Switzerland, making two appearances in the competition.

Born in Graz, the defender began his professional career with Austrian outfit Sturm Graz in 2006. He made 43 league appearances for the club before making the switch to Bundesliga side Bremen in 2008.

In his first season with Die Werderaner, Prodl finished as a runner-up in the Europa League and won the DFB Pokal - the German equivalent of the FA Cup.

Bremen were runners-up in the DFB Pokal the following season, with Prodl featuring more sparingly in the Bundesliga and playing no part in the cup campaign.

Prodl announced on May 12 he would leave Bremen for a new challenge after making 173 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Writing on his Facebook page, Prodl said: "I will take on a new challenge. I'll always be very grateful and proud that I was allowed to play for such a club."

Last season Prodl helped Bremen to a 10th-placed finish in the Bundesliga, making 22 appearances in the league.