Zola in the frame as Udinese owner Pozzo has bid accepted to buy Watford PUBLISHED: 10:36 GMT, 19 June 2012 | UPDATED: 12:18 GMT, 19 June 2012 Gianfranco Zola could be set to become Watford's new boss with Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo on the verge on buying the Championship club. Pozzo has run the Serie A club since 1986 and his family purchased Spanish side Granada three years ago. And the wealthy 71-year-old Italian businessman has had an initial offer accepted to buy the Hornets. Takeover: Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo is set to take charge at Championship club Watford Taking over: Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo Current Hornets owner Laurence Bassini bought the club 15 months ago but has now decided to sell up. A club statement read: 'The Board of Directors, acting on behalf of Watford Football Club, is pleased to confirm that agreement has been reached in principle for the transfer of ownership to the Pozzo family. 'Representatives from the (Pozzo) family have been in discussions with Watford Football Club and both parties have agreed initial terms.' Reports in Italy suggest that Pozzo could invest around £15million in the club. But manager Sean Dyche's future is now clouded in uncertainty after Pozzo admitted former West Ham boss Zola could be involved in the project. 'There are contacts with Watford, so we'll see,' Pozzo told gazzetta.it. 'Gianfranco Zola enters in the project, but it's too early to talk about it.' Zola has been out of work since he was sacked at Upton Park two years ago but is understood to be very keen to get back involved. Project: Gianfranco Zola could be involved at Watford following the club's takeover The news will come as a blow to 40-year-old Dyche who has impressed on a tight budget since replacing Malky Mackay in the hotseat last summer. Despite being considered as relegation candidates Dyche managed to guide Watford to a respectable 11th-finish in the Championship. Watford were in the Premier League in 2006-07 but were relegated after just one season and have been in the championship (second division) since. They enjoyed their best years in the early 1980s when singer-songwriter Sir Elton John was chairman. The Hornets finished runners-up in the old first division behind Liverpool in 1983 and were beaten FA Cup finalists a year later.
So Udinese, Granada and now Watford. Talk about NOT putting your eggs in one basket. In Europe there are owners who struggle with one club, this guy now owns 3. I wonder if he focused his resources on Udinese only ...
He's been doing wonders for Udinese and Granada and now this EPL team will give him even more options. He's been able to move players from a league to another and its an advantage because he can send youth from one place to another and he can more easily prospect.
He is also moving one of their young prospects there too. His name is Cristian Battochio. Italo-Argentine
It's cause Udinese finished 3rd and are in the CL for a second consecutive season. Granada was promoted last season for the first time in 35years after...
Udinese made the cl ? I recall them getting knocked out in the play offs and are now selling their core players to juve and anyone else who wants them. Pozzo is using all these clubs to put out all his young talents out onto the field to showcase them to perspective buyers none of the teams he owns will never win a dam thing just perhaps break transfer records...
Udinese is a small market team. What do you think they will achieve? The way football works is that small teams sell their best players for insane money. The difference is that they have been able to develop a vast amount of talent comparable to the big teams with great youth systems and more importantly stay competitive for a decade. Ask all the other small teams around Europe if they don't envy Udinese. In a game where teams are spending hundreds of millions per transfer window and on yearly salaries, how can you expect more? They finished ahead of Lazio, Napoli, Inter and Roma. After selling Sanchez.... If your against this type of organization then you can only be pro European Super League.
I know how things work at small clubs....If he really wanted to he could make Udinese into a team that wins things . he would try holding onto certain players a little bit longer Udine would actually achieve something but no he kills everything before they even get a chance. He could of gotten more exposure for Udinese if he didnt sell his best players before the CL play off. Also if you think a super league is going to change crap like this you are dreaming.
It doesn't seem like you understand... 21.7m TOTAL Players that have left Udinese recently: Gökhan İnler Morgan De Sanctis Alexis Sanchez Simone Pepe Vincenzo Iaquinta Fabio Quagliarella Cristián Zapata Gaetano D'Agostino Maurizio Isla Kwadwo Asamoah Sulley Muntari Asamoah Gyan Older: Marek Jankulovski David Pizarro Per Krøldrup Do you actually think they could afford them?
I understand....and i dont think there is any club in italy that could afford all of those players listed. What is pissing me off about the guy is if he wasnt in the top 6 then fine he can do that bullsh!t but when European points being lost because of all this then its a whole other story...
Floro Flores set for Granada? By Football Italia staff Antonio Floro Flores is reportedly set to join Spanish side Granada, a club owned by Udinese patrons the Pozzo family. The striker has had difficulties with Coach Francesco Guidolin and the fans in the last few months of his stay at the Stadio Friuli. He was due to be sold, but according to transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio and Sky Sport Italia, another option is emerging. Udinese plan to loan Floro Flores to Granada so he can gain Liga experience and improve himself as a player. It would be a one-season loan with no option to buy, although both clubs are owned by the Pozzo family. He’d be the second Udinese player to be revitalised at Granada after Gabriel Torje made the move on loan earlier this month. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Hey guys let's make the CL and sell all our players!"
the guy just wants $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ he could careless about Serie A and how many European spots we have lets hope they sell so many that never reach the CL again.
I can understand everyone's frustration at Udi being in the CL qualis, but every team around them choked in the league this year. Not one of them could put together any kind of consistency, it bordered on the bizarre at times and tbh you can't really make a case for any other club being deserving of taking that place from them. Would Inter, Roma or Napoli do better in the CL? Probably, but they all buggered up their seasons one way or another and so I don't have too much sympathy tbh.
Ya but what the heck is wrong with them not giving it a real go i mean if they get knocked out before the winter transfer they can sell sell sell + a deep run in the CL would get them exposure and more $$$ if Pozzo would just build to reach long term goals then things would be fine....i feel really bad for their fans i mean he could at least build them a dam decent stadium i bet almost anything he will fix up his English team's stadium...
Yeah but expectations shouldn't be that high for them. Whether they won or didn't, Udinese is nowhere near as big a club as either Napoli, Inter, Juve and Roma. They've been very competitive since they came back to the Serie A n 1995 but they don't have the resources or the fan base of those other clubs. It a wonder they've done as well as they have with the size of their club.
Well they got some amazing scouts but i think one of their better scouts went to Inter...still wish he would do something nice for his fans other than giving them more broken dreams... but then again they are prob all juve fans anyways...