"Does he still want to own it?" - Gino Pozzo told to fix clear Watford FC "issue" | OneFootball

FLW's Watford fan pundit has given his view on which issue the club need to fix as a priority this summer ahead of next season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

After a strong first half of the season, it has been an incredibly disappointing end to the campaign for Watford in the Championship.

Despite many tipping them to be involved in a relegation battle, Watford emerged as surprise play-off contenders after a strong first half of the season, and they sat as high as sixth in the table in late December.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, they were unable to maintain their impressive form, and after speculation over the future of head coach Tom Cleverley emerged in January, owner Gino Pozzo was forced to make a rare statement confirming his backing of the 35-year-old.

However, Pozzo's public support has not had the desired effect, and no team in the Championship has picked up fewer points than Watford since the turn of the year, while Cleverley's men are now 13th in the table after a run of four consecutive defeats.

Given Pozzo's reputation for sacking managers, Cleverley could find himself under pressure in the summer after such a poor run of form, but he has also been linked with the vacant managerial position at Norwich City, so an intriguing few weeks could be ahead at Vicarage Road.

Gino Pozzo given Watford sale ultimatum

When asked which issue the Hornets need to fix as a priority this summer, FLW's Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie urged Pozzo to either provide more investment into the squad or lower his asking price for the club in order to find new ownership.

"I think the ownership and investment is one issue in particular that the club need to fix as a priority this summer ahead of next season," Justin said.

"We need to see more funds made available to go into the recruitment of players because this is something that has not happened for the past three or four seasons, and as the parachute payments have faded away, the level of player recruitment seems to have diminished with it.

"During the summer, Gino Pozzo needs to decide what he wants to do with Watford as a going concern.

"Does he still want to own it? Does he want to bring in new investment?

"The club is, to all intents and purposes, up for sale, but it could be argued that the asking price is too high and is putting off potential buyers.

"If he's serious about wanting to get out of Watford, is he also going to be serious about making the asking price more agreeable?

"I think we need to do that as a priority before anything else because all the other woes and issues that surround Watford stem from what's going on at the top and the lack of progress and direction that the owner and CEO are showing whilst they are in charge of the club at this present time."

Many Watford supporters may be keen to see a change of ownership at the club, but takeovers can often be a lengthy process, and it is highly unlikely that any deal could be completed before the start of next season, meaning Pozzo will remain in charge this summer.

The speculation that Cleverley was set to be sacked in January sparked a furious reaction from the Hornets fan base, and while some may have changed their stance after the disappointing second half of the season, he is still hugely popular among the Vicarage Road faithful.

Recent results will be a huge test of Pozzo's loyalty to Cleverley, and it is possible that the decision could be taken out of his hands if Norwich were to make an approach, but the Watford head coach deserves the opportunity to continue in the role and receive greater backing in the transfer market.