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  • "Excellent news, no negatives, maybe will play some decent football again and make me regret moving down under. New strikers, a midfielder and maybe a couple of wingers, and Zola in charge, just brilliant, maybe get some loanees off Chelsea"
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Pozzo family have completed the takeover of Watford

10:00am Friday 29th June 2012 in Latest Sport Photograph of the Author By Frank Smith , Deputy Group Sports Editor

Pictured is Gianluca Nani (left) and Scott Duxbury (right). We expect them both to have roles at Watford under the Pozzos. Picture: Action Images Pictured is Gianluca Nani (left) and Scott Duxbury (right). We expect them both to have roles at Watford under the Pozzos. Picture: Action Images

The Pozzo family have completed their takeover of Watford Football Club, the Watford Observer understands.

All parties have been working tirelessly for the last two weeks in a bid to complete the deal and we understand the takeover was completed in the early hours of this morning.

Although we understand it will not be announced until later today.

Representatives working for Laurence Bassini and the Pozzo family have been working late for the last two nights in a bid to finally conclude the deal.

Sources had told the Watford Observer the deal was “imminent” on Tuesday but adjustments to the takeover documents were needed.

The Pozzos have been interested in Watford for a few months but Bassini had insisted on several occasions there was no truth in our sources’ claims the family wanted to take over the club and that he was not looking to sell.

The Stanmore businessman finally admitted he was leaving the club two weeks ago and since then all parties have been working to conclude the deal.

Father Giampaolo Pozzo will be influential to the future of Watford but his son Gino will be the more hands-on family member.

But we expect former West Ham United chief executive Scott Duxbury to be in charge of the day-to-day running of the club. Duxbury has been part of the negotiating team working for the Pozzos.

Ex-West Ham technical director Gianluca Nani worked with Duxbury at Upton Park and is also expected to have a role at Watford.

We understand the Pozzos will replace current manager Sean Dyche with Gianfranco Zola.

We understand Watford’s staff members have not been paid as of this morning (Friday).

The staff were informed last month that their pay date, which had been the 28th for several years, had been pushed back to “around the end of the month”, which is in their contracts.

But with June 30th falling on Saturday, the staff were due to receive their money today.

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