Watford recorded a 2-0 win away to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, while their rivals at the top of the Championship, Norwich City and Middlesbrough, drew and lost, respectively. That made the Hornets the first side to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League, putting them four points ahead of fourth place with one match to play.
Watford wins promotion to the Premier League
The Hornets are in the top flight for the third time in the Premier League era.
Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
The club is perhaps most famous for being the one supported by Elton John. But he’s not just a supporter -- he’s owned the club on multiple occasions, investing a good deal of his own money into the team. They’re now owned by Gino Pozzo, who also owns Udinese in Italy and Granada in Spain. Watford is a London suburb, located northwest of the city center and inside the M25.
It’s been a wild season in the Championship, with a number of teams sitting in the top two spots throughout the season, but Watford have spent most of the year around the top six. However, their season started in bizarre fashion.
Beppe Sannino was fired despite decent results due to locker room unrest, and was replaced by Oscar Garcia. He had to resign a month later due to a health scare, and first team coach Billy McKinlay, who had no managerial experience, took over in his place. Eventually, Watford found an experienced permanent manager in Slaviša Jokanović, who managed to guide the club into the top spot in the table.
Despite the crazy early season unrest, Watford were always expected to contend for promotion. They’ve been around the playoffs for quite some time and have some of the best forward talent in the division. Troy Deeney has 21 goals, Odion Ighalo has 20 and Matej Vydra has 14. Scottish international winger Ikechi Anya and Swiss attacking midfielder Almen Abdi are considered Premier League talents as well, while former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Gomes has had a great season.
The biggest difference between this Watford team and the one that came up in 2007 is their ownership. Pozzo has been voted the best chairman in Italy on multiple occasions for keeping Udinese competitive on a very tight budget, and making millions in the transfer market through their extensive scouting network that allows them to regularly identify undervalued prospects. A number of Watford players were previously Udinese or Granada players.
A big point of speculation this summer will be the needs and prioritization of Pozzo’s three clubs. Which Udinese and Granada players might join Watford on loan? Which of this year’s Watford players might be shipped off to La Liga or Serie A?
