Gino Pozzo
{{Short description|Italian businessman and football club owner(born 1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gino Pozzo
| image =
| alt =
| caption = getting sacked in the morning btw
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1965}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Italian
| father = Giampaolo Pozzo
| other_names =
| occupation =
| alma_mater = Harvard University{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1652962/2020/04/08/pozzo-recruitement-scouting-watford-udinese/ | title=The secrets of the Pozzos' recruitment network | last1=Leventhal | first1=Adam }}
| years_active =
| known_for = Owner of Watford FC
| notable_works =
|spouse=Carla
|children=2 daughters, 1 son
}}
Gino Pozzo (born 1965){{Cite web |title='A demanding perfectionist': how Gino Pozzo did the unthinkable at Watford |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/may/17/gino-pozzo-watford-owner-fa-cup-final |last=Burnton |first=Simon |date=17 May 2019 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=29 May 2020}} is an Italian businessman and managing director and legal owner of Watford, who owns a sports investment group focused on the football sector.
Early life
He is son of Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo and a member of the prominent Italian business-owning Pozzo family.
Career
Pozzo got his start in football as soon as he left university in his early 20s and has built his career around talent scouting and development of high-potential players. Pozzo is reportedly heavily involved in the day-to-day running of Watford,{{cite news|url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/11454600.the-pozzos-increased-influence-in-transfer-deals-and-the-running-of-watford-was-a-major-factor-in-gian-luca-nani-departure/|title=The Pozzos increased influence in transfer deals and the running of Watford was a major factor in Gian Luca Nani departure|last=Smith|first=Frank|date=6 September 2014|work=Watford Observer|publisher=Newsquest|access-date=15 May 2019}} as well as negotiating transfers between his father's football club Udinese in Italy.{{cite news|url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/9814971.former-west-ham-united-ceo-scott-duxbury-explains-why-the-pozzos-bought-watford/|title=Former West Ham United CEO Scott Duxbury explains why the Pozzos bought Watford|last=Smith|first=Frank|date=14 July 2012|work=Watford Observer|publisher=Newsquest|access-date=15 May 2019}}
Over the past decade, Pozzo and his family have become notable for their multi-club ownership strategies, including transferring players between Watford, Udinese and Granada (with Granada sold to Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang in June 2016).{{cite news|url=http://www.sport.co.uk/football/why-what-the-pozzo-family-is-doing-at-watford-udinese-gran/3815717/#Xy3vdCXCtAmVFIXk.97|title=Why What The Pozzo Family Is Doing At Watford, Udinese & Granada Is Admirable, Not Wrong|last=Price|first=Harry|date=7 March 2013|work=Sport.co.uk|publisher=Digital Sports Group|access-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903082126/http://www.sport.co.uk/football/why-what-the-pozzo-family-is-doing-at-watford-udinese-gran/3815717/#Xy3vdCXCtAmVFIXk.97|archive-date=3 September 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/europa/esclusiva-tmw-la-famiglia-pozzo-compra-il-granada-160576|title=ESCLUSIVA TMW – La famiglia Pozzo compra il Granada|last=Lolli|first=Andrea|date=11 July 2009|work=TUTTOmercatoWEB|access-date=15 May 2019|language=Italian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903151125/https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/europa/esclusiva-tmw-la-famiglia-pozzo-compra-il-granada-160576|archive-date=3 September 2018|url-status=live}}
Pozzo runs an international scouting team of 25 to 30 people who seek players through attending every significant competition around the world, especially in developing markets like South America, Africa and Eastern Europe.{{Cite web |last=Burnton |first=Simon |date=4 August 2015 |title=How the Pozzo family have fuelled Watford's Premier League dreams |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/aug/04/pozzo-family-fuelled-watford-premier-league-dreams |access-date=2 June 2020 |website=The Guardian |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Marcotti |first=Gabriele |date=26 April 2015 |title=The Pozzos: European Soccer's Ascendant Family |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/pozzo-effect-pays-off-for-european-soccers-family-concern-1430079232 |access-date=2 June 2020 |website=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}} Pozzo is reported to have a pattern of investing small sums of money into high-risk players. His larger clubs' network has helped his business to minimize player acquisition costs while maximizing the profit from surging transfer fees as players are transferred and loaned among 'sister clubs' and later sold at a premium achieving high returns.{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Murad |date=31 October 2018 |title=How to scout a football team |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4bb66cd4-dc9b-11e8-8f50-cbae5495d92b |access-date=2 June 2020 |website=Financial Times}}
Pozzo's career experience and business model has led to identifying talent at his three clubs and has been consistently applied to Udinese for over 25 years, leading some to call it the "talent factory".{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Rory |date=24 August 2011 |title=Udinese v Arsenal: Italian's ability to buy low and sell high puts Arsene Wenger's eye for young talent in the shade|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/8719853/Udinese-v-Arsenal-Italians-ability-to-buy-low-and-sell-high-puts-Arsene-Wengers-eye-for-young-talent-in-the-shade.html |access-date=3 June 2020 |language=en-GB}} Granada and Watford achieved promotion to La Liga and Premier League, respectively, through Pozzo's network and transformation from distressed situations. Pozzo's success includes the development of the clubs' own stadiums.
= Watford =
In June 2012, he and his father acquired Watford from previous owner Laurence Bassini.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18646398|title=Udinese's Pozzo family complete Watford takeover|date=29 June 2012|work=BBC Sport|access-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427082928/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18646398|archive-date=27 April 2019|url-status=live}} Pozzo became the sole owner in 2014.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Frank |date=19 December 2014 |title=Gino took sole control of Watford in the summer |url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/11677697.gino-pozzo-took-full-control-of-watford-in-the-summer-and-his-father-gianpaolo-has-no-direct-involvement-with-the-hornets/ |access-date=2 June 2020 |website=Watford Observer |language=en}}
Pozzo is often found at the training grounds and has been known to monitor all players through GPS devices that track the players' performance data while in training. He is known to have minimal contact with players and addresses them as little as once per year, yet observes his teams locally on a weekly basis.
All major decisions regarding the trading of players are made between Gino Pozzo, Scott Duxbury (chief executive of Watford), and Gianluca Nani (sporting director of Watford). They have been known to acquire many players from South America, citing lower wage costs however still being highly skilled athletes.
Watford were promoted from the Football League Championship to the Premier League on 25 April 2015.{{Cite web |last=Malin |first=Ian |date=25 April 2015 |title=Brighton 0–2 Watford – Championship match report|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/25/brighton-watford-championship-match-report |access-date=3 June 2020 |website=The Observer |language=en-GB}} Since 2015, Watford's annual revenues have increased by more than £100m.
During his time at Watford, Pozzo has become notorious for his tendency to sack managers, having appointed 19 different managers during his 13 year tenure at the club.{{Cite web |date=2025-05-06 |title=Watford sack Tom Cleverley after 14th-place finish in Championship |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/tom-cleverley-watford-championship-sporting-vicarage-road-b2745665.html |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=The Independent |language=en}}
In 2019, Watford made it to the FA Cup Final but were beaten by Manchester City.{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Ryan |date=19 April 2019 |title=Gino Pozzo and Scott Duxbury issue statement of thanks |url=https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sport/17649916.watford-owner-gino-pozzo-and-chairman-scott-duxbury-issue-thank-you-statement-to-fans/ |access-date=3 June 2020 |website=Watford Observer |language=en}}
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 back into the Premier League.
In the 2021–22 season, Watford finished in 19th place in the Premier League and were relegated back to the EFL Championship.
In the 2022–23 season, Watford finished in eleventh place in the EFL Championship and remained in the division. In the 2023–24 season, Watford finished in 15th place, their worst result since the 2009–10 season.
Personal life
References
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Category:Italian businesspeople