Gino Pozzo

Gino Pozzo
Born1965 (age 60–61)
Alma materHarvard University[1]
Known forOwner of Watford FC
SpouseCarla
Children2 daughters, 1 son
FatherGiampaolo Pozzo

Gino Pozzo (born 1965)[2] is an Italian businessman and the owner of Watford F.C., who owns a sports investment group focused on the football sector.

Early life

He is the son of Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo and a member of the Pozzo family.

Career

After leaving university, Pozzo became involved in football in his early 20s, focusing on talent scouting and player development.[2] He is involved in the day-to-day running of Watford,[3] as well as negotiating transfers between his father's football club Udinese in Italy.[4]

Pozzo and his family have owned multiple clubs, including Watford, Udinese, and Granada (with Granada sold to Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang in June 2016).[5][6] They have transferred players between these clubs.

Pozzo manages an international scouting team of 25 to 30 people who attend competitions worldwide, particularly in South America, Africa, and Eastern Europe.[7][8] The family has invested in players and transferred them between clubs before selling them.[9][8]

The approach has been applied at Udinese for over 25 years, and some sources have described it as a "talent factory".[10] Granada and Watford were promoted to La Liga and the Premier League, respectively, under Pozzo family ownership.[7][8][11]

Watford

In June 2012, Pozzo and his father acquired Watford from previous owner Laurence Bassini.[12] Pozzo became the sole owner in 2014.[13]

Pozzo attends the training grounds and monitors player performance data through GPS devices.[7] He has limited direct contact with players.[2]

Decisions on player transfers are made by Gino Pozzo, Scott Duxbury (chief executive of Watford), and Gianluca Nani (sporting director of Watford). The club has acquired players from South America.[2][9]

Watford were promoted from the Football League Championship to the Premier League on 25 April 2015.[11] Since 2015, Watford's annual revenues have increased by more than £100m.[9]

During Pozzo's ownership, Watford has appointed 19 different managers over 13 years.[14]

In 2019, Watford reached the FA Cup Final but lost to Manchester City.[15]

In the 2019–20 season, Watford finished in 19th place in the Premier League and were relegated to the EFL Championship.

In the 2020–21 season, Watford finished in second place in the EFL Championship and were promoted to the Premier League.

In the 2021–22 season, Watford finished in 19th place in the Premier League and were relegated to the EFL Championship.

In the 2022–23 season, Watford finished in eleventh place in the EFL Championship. In the 2023–24 season, Watford finished in 15th place.

Personal life

Pozzo is married to Carla Pozzo and they have two daughters and a son. They live outside London.[2]

References

  1. ^ Leventhal, Adam. "The secrets of the Pozzos' recruitment network".
  2. ^ a b c d e Burnton, Simon (17 May 2019). "'A demanding perfectionist': how Gino Pozzo did the unthinkable at Watford". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. ^ Smith, Frank (6 September 2014). "The Pozzos increased influence in transfer deals and the running of Watford was a major factor in Gian Luca Nani departure". Watford Observer. Newsquest. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  4. ^ Smith, Frank (14 July 2012). "Former West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury explains why the Pozzos bought Watford". Watford Observer. Newsquest. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  5. ^ Price, Harry (7 March 2013). "Why What The Pozzo Family Is Doing At Watford, Udinese & Granada Is Admirable, Not Wrong". Sport.co.uk. Digital Sports Group. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  6. ^ Lolli, Andrea (11 July 2009). "ESCLUSIVA TMW – La famiglia Pozzo compra il Granada". TUTTOmercatoWEB (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Burnton, Simon (4 August 2015). "How the Pozzo family have fuelled Watford's Premier League dreams". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Marcotti, Gabriele (26 April 2015). "The Pozzos: European Soccer's Ascendant Family". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Ahmed, Murad (31 October 2018). "How to scout a football team". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  10. ^ Smith, Rory (24 August 2011). "Udinese v Arsenal: Italian's ability to buy low and sell high puts Arsene Wenger's eye for young talent in the shade". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  11. ^ a b Malin, Ian (25 April 2015). "Brighton 0–2 Watford – Championship match report". The Observer. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  12. ^ "Udinese's Pozzo family complete Watford takeover". BBC Sport. 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  13. ^ Smith, Frank (19 December 2014). "Gino took sole control of Watford in the summer". Watford Observer. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Watford sack Tom Cleverley after 14th-place finish in Championship". The Independent. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  15. ^ Gray, Ryan (19 April 2019). "Gino Pozzo and Scott Duxbury issue statement of thanks". Watford Observer. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
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