Pozzo Family in Talks to Sell Stake in Udinese

Giampaolo Pozzo is currently in talks to sell a significant portion of the Italian football club, Udinese Calcio (Udinese). The deal is purported to be to a US investor, and will likely include a small share in Watford as well. Udinese is valued at around $200 million currently, but it’s not clear just how much equity would be given up during the exchange. If a stake in Watford is up for grabs as well, the share will likely be around 10%. We’ll look at the context of the discussions and what that will likely mean for the future of the clubs. 

Placements 

Udinese is 6th in Serie A and Watford is 10th in the Championship. This sale is likely to be valued at around $170.4 million, though this could increase significantly should Watford make it to the Premier League. There is a lot of speculation about this investment and whether it signifies the surrender of control by the Pozzo family, or if it’s just a bid to increase the spending power of the club before it’s eventually brought back under the Pozzo family umbrella in the future. 

Discussions

The Pozzo family is not just talking to the US investors, but also the other owners of the clubs as well. The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) interested in the share is not yet known, but it is known that the company is US-based and publicly traded. The SPAC in question was created specifically to buy another company. 

The sports world has been abuzz with what this might mean for all clubs under Pozzo's domain, with plenty of people noting specific changes in the recent past. For instance, Watford has made a few splashes, including the announcement of new contracts for Joao Pedro and Imran Louza. For a club that typically prefers to keep these matters private, the news has caught the public’s eye. While neither Watford nor Udinese cared to comment during the talks, public statements from related organizations have implied that investors can help football clubs grow both in prestige and value. 

One of the stipulations is that Udinese will need to go through an audit according to US standards, and it must pass muster with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. This step will undoubtedly be time-consuming, but it would help make it possible for the Pozzo/SPAC agreement to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Despite the regulatory hurdles in the way, the club is taking steps to get there. 

The financial news and additions to the team have led to further discussions about the opportunities surrounding higher ticket sales. The refinancing agreement with Macquarie bank has made the Italian club more liquid, which is also helpful in a stake sale. 

The Pozzos 

Gino Pozzo is the owner of Watford FC and Magda marketing strategic coordinator of Udinese. The Pozzos also have the Spanish Club Granada and have been looking at third-division team Sabadell as well. Uniting all of their assets is a goal of theirs, and the consolidation would undoubtedly bolster the morale of teams and fans as well. This latest business move is just one of many that the family has made to secure their legacy in football. 

Gino Pozzo was raised in Italy and went to college in the US. He graduated from Harvard Business School, and decided to come back to Italy with his degree. While he was there, he had a choice to take over the family woodworking business, but he decided that football was where his passion lay. Like his father, he wanted to take control of a team and turn it into a success. It was around this time that Watford went up for sale, and Pozzo spotted an opportunity. It was exactly the type of team that he was looking for.

Mismanaged and perpetual loss-leaders, Pozzo made the purchase, moved to England, and committed his skills and talent to the cause. Since then, he's been nothing but thrilled with his life in Great Britain (and even his family came around after leaving Italy). He looks forward to making smart, strategic moves to bring additional value to the clubs, however and wherever possible. 

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