Slavisa Jokanovic affords himself a sneaky peak through the green mesh fence at Watford's London Colney training ground. Next door Arsenal are going through their paces. It is not too revealing but for Jokanovic it is a glimpse into what he hopes is the very near future. The former Chelsea midfielder wants to manage a Premier League club and Watford, one of seven teams to have been top of the Championship so far this season, have a foot in the door. 'I take a little look now and again,' he says wryly. 'It's good to have them so close, it's a reminder of what we want to be. We can't get ahead of ourselves as this is an unforgiving division but it's the dream. It's our focus.' Watford boss Slavisa Jokanovic hopes he can lead the club to the premier league next season . Jokanovic is the fourth man to be put in charge of Watford during this campaign and joined them in October . Unforgiving is befitting of a Championship promotion race that has nine teams still vying for a Premier League place with seven games remaining. The next week is a defining moment with Watford second in the table and facing rivals Derby County and Middlesbrough in their next two matches. The fact Watford are there at all is testament to the former Chelsea midfielder when you consider he is their fourth coach of the season. Perhaps ominously, he is also out of contract in the summer. 'It's true we didn't have the best start in terms of changes,' he says, with understatement. 'But I knew what I was coming to.' Italian Beppe Sannino began the season in charge and started well but his exit followed talk of dressing-room unrest. In a bizarre five-week period, Oscar Garcia succeeded Sannino but stepped down after suffering chest pains in his first game and was replaced by Billy McKinlay. Eight days later, after a win and a draw, owner Gino Pozzo called for Jokanovic, who had won two doubles with Partizan Belgrade and the Thai Premier League with Muangthong United. He was recommended to Pozzo by staff at one of the Italian businessman's other clubs, Granada, who recognised his ability to 'find solutions on a small budget'. Jokanovic shrugs. 'It was definitely strange. It's normal for other countries but unusual here,' he says. 'For me, it was just a great opportunity; a small door opened to a big chance. I didn't know the Championship well but I knew what to expect from my time at Chelsea. I've always watched English football and I believe in myself. 'You can look at the fact the club had three coaches before I arrived but I've never been one to worry about what may happen tomorrow, just try and control today. I was excited not worried. I knew there would be little money, that I couldn't bring my own staff but fortunately after a few days I found I was working with quality people. I'm confident I can make any team better. I've lived with pressure since I was 18. My family instilled the same principles, there's no magic formula, just a belief that if you work hard, life will treat you well.' Despite losing 1-0 to Ipswich in their last game, Watford are currently second in the Championship table . Watford midfielder Adlene Guedioura (left) dribbles with the ball ahead of Ipswich's Kevin Bru (right) Jokanovic, or 'Slav' as he prefers, is outside the training ground canteen, sipping coffee. The 46-year-old Serb cuts an imposing figure. He is tall, lean, ruggedly handsome and has a disarming charm when he talks passionately about his desire to return to the Premier League. He was frustrated in the transfer window as the Pozzo principle is more about work than spending, often making players fit between their three clubs Watford, Granada and Udinese. He says Bournemouth are the best team in the league but believes he has four good strikers who can make a difference. As a player, he was the 2000 model of Chelsea's defensive midfield linchpin Nemanja Matic; signed by Claudio Ranieri from Deportivo La Coruna. His regret, you sense, is that the Premier League did not see the best of him. 'I was 32 — and a half! My best time had been at Deportivo but I still played 52 games for Chelsea,' he says. 'It was faster, stronger. 'My debut was against Liverpool in the Worthington Cup and I remember being tackled and playing up for the free-kick like we did in Spain but my team-mates turned, saying 'Get up, get on with it, we don't do that here'. I was used to playing a passing game, even if it meant going backwards, but the fans would shout and [coach] Ray Wilkins took me to one side and said, 'I know what you want to do but here you have to move it forward more quickly'. It was all part of learning a different culture, it was good preparation for when I came back.' He has kept in touch with former team-mates Gianfranco Zola and Gus Poyet. Both have been sacked in recent months but he does not feel the need to call. 'Now is a time for them to be with their own thoughts,' he says. 'They know my feelings for them. They are champions and good friends.' Jokanovic during his Chelsea days pulls back Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tim Sherwood (right) Watford players celebrate after Troy Deeny's goal against Rotherham United in February at Vicarage Road . Home is a few miles away near St Albans. He is at the training ground for 8am and likes to be last to leave. It is a solitary existence as his wife and three children have remained in Madrid, their family home for the past 13 years. Indeed, Jokanovic holds a Spanish passport. 'My eldest daughter is 19 and she came over to visit but it helps that I'm on my own because it sharpens my focus. The job is my life. It consumes almost every hour whether I'm considering the bigger picture or small details. This season could come down to one corner or one free-kick. Listen, if a team in this title race lose concentration, they can pay a very expensive price. Sir Elton John has promised Watford players a big party if they can secure promotion to the Premier League . 'I know what getting into the Premier League means to everyone. I was introduced to Sir Elton John when he opened the stand at Vicarage Road named in his honour before Christmas and he's a good guy, he promised he'd send champagne and we'd have a great party if we go up.' Although he confesses Watford's 'Rocket man' is not on his iPod playlist, Jokanovic will occasionally watch his favourite Robert De Niro film, the gangster epic Once Upon a Time In America, and is reading Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography as he sources extra motivation. 'You always need to improve and find an edge so it makes sense to look at the man who won the Premier League more than anyone else. Hopefully, his words can help. I'm ready for this fight and I don't intend to surrender until I win it.' Whether it is admiring the neighbours or his reading material, Jokanovic is certainly looking in the right direction. If Jokanovic can secure Watford's return to the top flight, it will be their first appearance since 2006-07 .
Watford manager Slavisa Jokanovic is targeting promotion to the Premier League this season . The Hornets are currently second in the Championship table with seven games left to play . Lifelong Watford supporter and former club chairman Sir Elton John has promised the team a big party if they reach the Premier League .