It was more than just the lure of the Premier League which attracted Watford’s newest head coach Javi Gracia to England.

The 47-year-old Spaniard, who has never managed in the UK before, took just 24 hours to accept owner Gino Pozzo’s offer to become the club’s new chief on Sunday, having been contacted through his agent within minutes of the final whistle when Watford lost at Leicester City on Saturday evening.

The following morning he was on a plane bound for Luton Airport from his native Malaga, and had little doubt of whether he wanted to take up the role of becoming the Hornets’ head coach - despite having narrowly missed out on a far more prestigious role at Champions League last-16 side Sevilla earlier less than a month ago.

“I want to be rich, but not just with money,” he said. “Culturally too. I want to have experiences in this country, for me and my children. I want to give them stability in a good country, and a good city, but I want them to have different experiences.

“I want to feel this sensation of being a manager in England, and feel what it is like. I want to live this experience. I don’t know how many times I would have the opportunity to come.

“The things that attracted me are the club, the Premier League and the culture of the country for me and for my family.

“Not only as a professional, but as a personal ambition too. I want to enjoy this country, my job and I think there is no better place than England. I think there is no better place than England to enjoy my job either.

“When it appeared, I didn’t have any doubts that I wanted to come. Watford is like a family. We don’t have a big budget, but we have a big heart. It’s a very nice place and I feel like I have settled in.”

That ambition could be short-lived if Watford keep up their recent track record with head coaches - they are now on their fourth since May 2016 - but Gracia is confident he can be the man to turn around their expensive turnover of staff.

“I want to be here for the long-term but you never know,” he said. “Watford is a nice place, it’s a very good club and I feel very comfortable here.

“The people are very nice, we need to get good results, because a coach will live or die by their results.

“I would like to be here a long time, but I don’t know. A coach’s life depends on many things, results and more, but I like it here a lot.”