It’s never been a secret that since 2012, Watford have had strong ties with Italian side Udinese, as both clubs are owned by the Pozzo family.
They’ve been involved in several deals since then, and things were no different in the last transfer window, with Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra both heading to the Serie A side.
One of the reasons both players left Watford was the club’s relegation to the Championship, with Udinese turning out to be a quick solution for the duo.
Now it’s interesting to see the Italian view on all this. Official Stefano Antonelli, who works on the transfer market and was previously a football director, spoke a little about this with Tutto Mercato Web Radio on Friday.
Antonelli commented on how despite working as a unity, each of Pozzo’s clubs depend on the other’s failure so they can have a bigger budget for transfer windows. That was the case this summer.
The main subject of this conversation was Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who was expected to leave the club this summer, but they managed to keep him.
“Can De Paul really still stay in Udine? I’ve been working there for 21 years with continuity and I know the Pozzo family: it has always been a selling club,” Antonelli told TMW.
“If they had had the right offer they’d have sold him, because they know when the cycles end, they know that the De Paul cycle is over. However, the offer has not arrived.
“The double ownership makes you think of a unique player park, and sometimes it was a weakness, but in this case gave them Pereyra and Deulofeu. Through a negativity, Watford relegated to the Championship allowed Udinese to strengthen themselves.”
