Watford FC: Anthony Joshua backed to complete Birmingham City-esque investment in Hornets | OneFootball

Watford have been told to follow through with Anthony Joshua's interest in the club, which could have parallels of Birmingham and Tom Brady

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…

Former boxing heavyweight champion of the world Anthony Joshua has recently revealed that he is in talks over a potential investment in EFL Championship side Watford.

In an interview with Seconds Out, AJ expressed his desire to invest the money he's earned from fighting into other ventures - including putting it into his local club Watford.

Possessing a reported £175 million net worth, according to the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List, the boxer could bring some healthy investment and a large amount of publicity to the club.

Finishing 14th in the Championship isn’t the end goal for an ambitious club like Watford, and a famous face with the ambition and desire to succeed and inject fresh life into a club has certainly worked wonders for Wrexham with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, as well as NFL legend Tom Brady being involved with Birmingham City.

Watford FC urged to agree Anthony Joshua deal in move that could "open up doors"

FLW’s Watford fan pundit Justin Beattie believes that this deal could have positive implications both on and off the pitch.

“AJ getting involved would certainly bring profile and positive PR, which is something that we've missed at Watford for quite a while,” Justin told FLW.

“And whilst his reported net worth isn't quite at the level needed to transform a club financially, it doesn't mean it couldn't be beneficial.

“When you've been supporting Watford as long as I have, you've seen things like this in the past. Robert Maxwell, the media mogul and Paul Raymond back in the 1980's, these kind of high profile investment rumours do pop up.

“Sometimes they spark useful conversation about the club's direction and appeal and even if nothing comes of it directly, having someone with Anthony Joshua's reach expressing interest could open doors or attract other potential backers.

“So while I'd stay realistic, there's no harm in being cautiously optimistic about these things.”

Potential Anthony Joshua investment in Watford could help Tom Cleverley no end

Fans are natural to have reservations about deals with high-profile names attached to them, as there have been scenarios in the past where it has spelled doom for certain organisations.

However, recent times have shown that famous faces can play an instrumental role in transforming a football club. Despite not having the outright capital to bankroll a team to success, publicity can bring people on board who can, as proven by the modern success of Wrexham and Birmingham City.

The former are the prime example of this, as the exposure Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney gave the Welsh side has proven to pay dividends across the last few years.

Next year they play their trade in the Championship and have become the first ever club to be promoted from the National League to the second-tier consecutively, whilst over at Birmingham, Tom Brady's name value has attracted major sponsors.

Some fans will always hold reservations around the concept, as they feel it detracts from the nature and culture of their club. However, a growing majority are longing for a similar success story to Wrexham.

As a result, the exposure Anthony Joshua could bring Watford may prove invaluable. A move that benefits both parties could be on the cards and would certainly make for an exciting time in future years at Vicarage Road.

This season whimpered out for the Hornets, with Tom Cleverley’s side picking up one point in their last five games and slumping to yet another mid-table finish. With a summer of change expected at Watford, an interesting partnership may soon be on the horizon.