Taking the Watford job is always a gamble due to their reputation for lack of patience with managers, but it was Javi Gracia's first job in English football.
The former Malaga manager took over from Marco Silva in 2018 and kept them in the Premier League for two seasons, also taking the Hornets to an FA Cup final.
However, they did lose 6-0 to Manchester City at Wembley, and Gracia was sacked following a poor start to the following season.
The Spanish coach then managed Valencia and won the Qatar Stars League with Al-Sadd.
Gracia returned to the Premier League with Leeds in 2023 when taking over from Jesse Marsch. However, he lasted just 12 games and was replaced by Sam Allardyce as Leeds went on to be relegated.
He has been out of work since, but a vacancy is expected to arise at his former club, Watford.
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Sky Sports has reported that "Watford are set to sack head coach Paulo Pezzolano... Gracia is the number one target to replace Pezzolano."
Should Javi Gracia return to Watford?
Pezzolano has only been in charge of Watford since the summer when he replaced Tom Cleverley.
The Hornets were active in the transfer window, signing Nestory Irankunda from Bayern Munich and Max Alleyne on loan from City.
After nine Championship games, Watford are 11th in the table, but are unbeaten in their last three games.
There is a huge lack of patience with managers in football, and Watford is the poster club for hiring and firing managers.
Pezzolano knew what he was getting into when he agreed to join the Hornets, so his potential sacking is no surprise.
As Gracia has been out of work since his spell at Leeds, a return to Watford could be tempting. However, he will know that it will not be for the long term.
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