“Lost his passion” – Watford takeover prediction made concerning Gino Pozzo.
This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features unique perspectives from our FLW Fan Pundits on the most recent breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more…
Watford owner Gino Pozzo has found himself on the end of heavy criticism about his ambition with the Hornets sitting in Championship mid-table for the third season running.
Having been a Premier League regular towards the end of the previous decade, supporters may be surprised as to how the team has now become the league’s lowest spenders.
| Lowest estimated transfer expenditure – Championship 2024/25 (as per Transfermarkt) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Team | Expenditure | Income | +/- |
| 20 | Blackburn Rovers | £3.98m | £11.12m | £7.14m |
| 21 | Sheffield Wednesday | £3.94m | £330k | -£3.61m |
| 22 | Preston North End | £3.84m | £0.00 | -£3.84m |
| 23 | Oxford United | £3.17m | £0.00 | -£3.17m |
| 24 | Watford FC | £2.72m | £24.9m | £22.18m |
With supporter relations at an all-time low, Pozzo’s interest in the club has been questioned.
“New takeover is badly needed” says Watford pundit
When asked for his opinion on Pozzo’s possibility of selling the club in the near future, FLW’s Watford fan analyst Justin Beattie said huge changes might be on the way. “I believe the Hornets desperately need a new takeover. “We must remember that Gino Pozzo has done a lot of good for Watford Football Club; we now have a lovely stadium that was only three-sided when he arrived; we have had five consecutive years in the Premier League; we have reached an FA Cup final; and we have seen some really good, exciting players at Vicarage Road during his tenure. “So we have to be appreciative for many of the gifts that he’s brought us, but we also have to be mindful of the managerial merry-go-round, some of the questionable appointments of managers, as well as questionable dismissals.
“He appears to have lost his love for Watford and may have taken his eye off the ball at the club, leaving us without a competent squad. If we keep moving in the same direction, we won’t get anywhere. “I believe he is attempting to sell the club; I don’t think this is a secret. I believe he is looking for investors and/or a potential suitor to take over the club. However, there is no queue of billionaires waiting to take over a club like Watford, so it will take time. “But I do think it will happen, and the process could well already be underway.”
Beattie, while ensuring to highlight the good that has come from Gino Pozzo’s near-13-year tenure, echoes an opinion held by many supporters of the Hertfordshire club, in that it may soon be time to bring his reign to a natural conclusion.
Quiet winter window may be final straw for Watford supporters
After an incredibly thrifty summer produced intermediate results in the first half of the season, Vicarage Road supporters may be forgiven for quietly anticipating the opening of a winter war chest to boost Tom Cleverley’s outside chance of pursuing play-off promotion. However, with the only significant permanent transfers being the signing of custodian Egil Selvik and the departure of Ken Sema, it is debatable whether the team has improved at all. With the big-money departure of Yáser Asprilla in late August, supporters must be asking where exactly that money is going. This is not an exceptional occurrence, but Transfermarkt believes that the club’s three-year balance sees them hold over £100 million in positive surplus that has yet to be redistributed into the club.
The club’s overall transfer budget has declined year after year since 2021/22, and while the option to depart amicably has gone, it is becoming increasingly evident that Pozzo’s time in Hertfordshire is coming to an end.
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