Ighalo: Watford owner expects to reach Europa League in the near future

Watford’s owner Gino Pozzo wants the club to secure European football in the “near future”, according to star striker Odion Ighalo.

Pozzo took over the Hornets four years ago and since then has guided the club into the Premier League.

The Golden Boys secured their top-flight status with relative ease last season and this summer the club brought in former Inter Milan and Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri in the hope to push on even further.

Ighalo was a pivotal part of Watford’s success alongside captain Troy Deeney, with the Nigerian scoring 17 goals in all competitions and being rewarded with a five-year contract.

And Ighalo said: “The way the owner is planning, bringing in players, he has ambition.

“I’ve known Gino for eight or nine years. His mentality is to win, to improve. He wants to build this team and, in the near future, to play in the Europa League, that’s his ambition.”

Watford owner Gino Pozzo. (Damian Meyer/AFP/Getty Images)

Ighalo began his professional career in Nigeria with Prime before joining Julius Berger.

A switch to Norwegian side Lyn followed in 2007 and after nine goals in 20 outings across two seasons, Ighalo moved to Italy to join Udinese.

He barely featured in his debut campaign in Italy and joined Granada on loan for the 2009/10 campaign, netting 17 times to help the then fellow-Pozzo owned club to promotion.

The 27-year-old spent five years in Spain with Granada and helped the club rise from the third tier of Spanish football to the top flight, La Liga – even though he struggled to maintain the same form as the first season.

Ighalo joined Watford, initially on loan, in 2014 and has scored 37 goals in 81 appearances in all competitions, leading to offers from Manchester United and Shanghai SIPG in excess of £35m – both of which were turned down.

And the striker is loving life in Hertfordshire and remains grateful to the Hornets.

He said: “Most of the things I have achieved have been at Watford. If I wasn’t playing at Watford then people wouldn’t know me. I’m well known now in my country because Watford gave me the opportunity.

“People knew me when I was in Spain but not like here.

“We still have great things to do in the future.”