Udinese, Granada CF and now Watford FC – Brothers in football.

By Heath Chesters
Updated: 16 July, 2012

A few short weeks ago, the news broke that the Pozzo family was looking to buy English Championship side Watford FC.

With fans in England seeking more information about the Pozzo family and their past exploits, I was asked to write an article for The Watford Observer, describing the influence of the Pozzo family at Granada CF.

There is absolutely no doubt that since the arrival of the Pozzo family at Granada CF, a club that were at the very brink of closure in the summer of 2009, the club has gone from strength to strength.

Fans at Granada CF have enjoyed consecutive promotions from Segunda B4, to Liga Adelante, to Liga BBVA. Last season the club survived in the top-flight and with continued support and investment from the Italians, the 2012/2013 season plans are for much more than just survival.

So far, Granada CF have been the most active club in the summer transfer window. Shrewd and quality signings add further strength to the squad, with more new arrivals expected before the end of August.

Meanwhile in Italy at Udinese, the mutual “parent” of Granada CF and Watford FC, the club has enjoyed a remarkable few years. Qualification for the Champions League in the last two seasons has seen Udinese begin to firmly establish themselves amongst the major teams in Italian football.

Undoubtedly, a key aspect to their success has been their superb global scouting network, plus their keen eye for signing players with great potential ability and value. A number of these players have become superb investments, most notable of which was Alexis Sánchez, who moved to Barcelona at the start of the 2011/2012 season for a whopping €37 million.

With Granada CF having already benefited greatly from the shrewd management and support of the Pozzo family and their investors, the acquisition of Watford FC will be an interesting “project” to follow in English football. The Pozzo family have been looking for some time for a foothold in English football and whilst there are different challenges ahead, compared to those in Spanish and Italian football, all eyes will now be on Watford FC and how they grow over the next few years.

To get a perspective on the new ownership at Watford FC and changes already taking place, we asked Frank Smith of The Watford Observer, to give us his insight into how the Pozzo family takeover is being received.

Normally football club takeovers by multi-millionaires are met with mad hysteria from supporters but the Pozzos’ acquisition of Watford has raised a few concerns from the outset.

The majority of Watford fans have welcomed the club’s new owners and talk of promotion to the Premier League has created excitement. But Watford supporters do like their club to behave in a certain way and have a few long-standing principles which the fans hope will not be lost as a result of the takeover.

Watford are a club who are renowned for their links with the community and for developing local youngsters.

The Pozzo’s business plan of recruiting young players and then selling them on for profit is one which Hornets supporters are used to as the Hertfordshire club have been doing it for decades. However, if Watford were to flood the first team with foreign imports, similar to Granada, then it would upset the majority of supporters.

The Pozzos have only been in charge for a couple of weeks so it is a hypothetical scenario at present and it is worth noting the new regime have stressed they respect the club’s links with the community and they plan to continue to develop their own players.

Watford have relied on loan players in the past but it is with moderation. Two or three loan players from Udinese or Granada would be welcomed but the Hornets already have more than 30 professionals on their books and supporters want to see ‘their own’ youngsters played.

The Pozzos upset Watford supporters immediately when it became obvious the club were going to sack previous manager Sean Dyche, despite the former centre back guiding the club to their highest league position in four years.

Dyche was a popular figure among supporters but time has indeed been a healer and fans are now looking forward to the new regime, which will be led by former Chelsea and Italy forward Gianfranco Zola.

Supporters will hope Dyche’s legacy will live on though; as he created a strong togetherness among the squad and a work ethic which was the envy of the rest of the Championship.

Morale among the Watford players was exceptional and the fact the whole squad, except for one, was from the United Kingdom and Ireland was a big factor. It will be interesting to see whether the arrival of several foreign players impact on the atmosphere among the squad.

Some of the supporters’ fears reduced following the Pozzos’ statement which was released a couple of weeks ago and then further following Zola’s press conference last week. Ultimately though, actions will speak louder than words and the new owners will be given time.

The management trio of chief executive Scott Duxbury, technical director Gian Luca Nani and head coach Zola left West Ham two years ago with their reputations damaged after just surviving relegation and the club in financial turmoil. It seems the Pozzos will be taking a back-seat when it comes to the running of the club but the Watford fans are willing to give Duxbury, Nani and Zola a chance.

Whatever happens, Watford are unlikely to be the same again. Will it be for the better? Time will tell.

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