Javi Gracia emerges as shock candidate to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea

Chelsea are sniffing around one of the most underrated coaches in the league

And so the merry-go-round begins. It's that time of year when managers change clubs, buy new players, and everyone seemingly gets more excited about each move than the actual football the players will watch. Watford manager Javi Gracia has emerged as a surprise candidate to replace Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, who looks increasingly likely to join Juventus this summer, after Max Allegri left the club after five seasons. Gracia took Watford to an FA Cup final this (last? when is the cut-off point?), season, although they were demolished 6-0 by Manchester City. Nevertheless, an 11th place finish, a record points total for the club and some entertaining football has put Gracia on the radar of the Premier League's big boys, and Chelsea have reportedly shown interest in taking him to Stamford Bridge, according to the Standard. Watford, however, are hopeful of keeping hold of the Spaniard, who signed a four-and-a-half year contract with the Hornets in November. He remains an outsider for the Chelsea job, with Derby County boss and former Chelsea player Frank Lampard the current front runner.