The takeover of Watford by the Pozzo family, owners of Serie A side Udinese since 1986 and La Liga side Granada since 2009, has been completed, signaling significant changes for the Hertfordshire side.
First on the list is the impending appointment of former Chelsea/Italy national striker/attacking mid-fielder, Gianfranco Zola to replace Sean Dyche as manager.
Despite Dyche's success with limited resources, the new owners have thier own notion of how the club should be run and are in town today to share thier vision with the staff. Best of luck to Sean.
Pundits who are familiar with Udinese point to thier treatment of Granada as an example of the Pozzo's business model. The club rose from the third tier to La Liga after the Pozzo takeover three seasons ago and did so mostly on the backs of Udinese loanees (six of the starting eleven were on loan fron Udinese). The Pozzo model is one similar to South American clubs: find young promising talent, cycle them though their academy, gain them exposure, and sell them for a profit.
With Watford, as with Granada, the deal opens a new venue for exposure of Udinese players, potentially driving up their value for Premier League buyers. Additionally, Watford's stellar track record of producing senior team Football League players (50 and counting) opens a new vein of talent for Udinese to mine.
The downside is Watford's identity and tradition of home-grown talent is likely to come away diluted by the new order. On the upside, we are likely to see new talent, better football, and, if Granada is any indication, a serious shot at promotion.
Interesting times ahead.
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