What the sale of Udinese could mean for Watford
The Pozzo family are reportedly going through the final stages of selling Italian club Udinese after a 39-year association with the Serie A side. Udinese are owned by Giampaolo Pozzo, the father of Watford owner Gino Pozzo. The two clubs are intrinsically linked and have been since the Pozzos became involved with the Hornets in 2012. So the impending sale of Udinese to a group of American entrepreneurs, reportedly worth approximately £150m, has left Watford fans wondering 'what does that mean for us?'.The timing of this is interesting. The Watford owner and his board have been under pressure from supporters upset about the sacking of the extremely popular head coach Tom Cleverley and the way the club has been run since relegation from the Premier League in 2022. Many fans have questioned whether Gino Pozzo is still the man to take Watford forward and whether he is considering selling up.But in a rare statement a month ago, external Pozzo reaffirmed his "absolute commitment to Watford" and his responsibility "to make this club the very best that it can be... to make Watford competitive, successful and challenge for a return to the Premier League".So does the impending sale of Udinese mean the Pozzos are going to be putting more money into the Vicarage Road club? Maybe some, but Hornets fans shouldn't expect millions to be ploughed into the transfer market. The sale will mean more in terms of resources than cash. As an example, Gian Luca Nani was sporting director of both clubs - he can now concentrate on Watford solely.The Hornets won't be spending big on transfers. But they never have done under Pozzo apart from the Premier League years. This has never been the Watford model under Pozzo. In the years leading up to the Premier League, Watford's business was done with free transfers, the majority from Udinese and the other Pozzo-owned club Granada, including bargains like Almen Abdi, Matej Vydra and Marco Cassetti. They also scoured the world for young talent and brought in players from South America and Africa.And that isn't about to change. As Pozzo added in his most recent update: "We are not abandoning the model which has served us well over the years: identifying youth and developing it." Without Udinese, Watford will miss out on the clever trading that has gone on between the two Pozzo-owned clubs. Work permits could also be an issue and it would be no surprise if the Pozzo family ended up buying an Italian or Spanish club in the second or third tier to enjoy the benefits of a 'sister' club.There has long been reports that Pozzo has been looking to sell Watford but the sale of Udinese makes that seem unlikely for the time being. It would put them out of the game and the player trading that they seem to so enjoy. The Premier League brings far more revenue than Serie A so perhaps they are throwing their eggs into one basket in an attempt to get back there. Their summer transfer activity is so far backing up this argument. The Hornets have already snapped up three shrewd free transfers with more on the way. And whereas Hornets fans shouldn't expect big-money transfers this summer, maybe the Udinese sale might mean not having to sell the current stars such as Giorgi Chakvetadze, Kwadwo Baah and Imran Louza.
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