Maurizio Sarri is surely a man on borrowed time after Chelsea’s humiliating 6-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Roman Abramovich is not known for being a patient man, and previous Blues managers have been sacked for less than this, with the loss at the Etihad Stadium representing the club’s biggest in the Premier League era.
MORE: The big change Maurizio Sarri is requesting if he stays at Chelsea
The Telegraph claim Sarri has around two weeks to save himself at Chelsea, with the Europa League likely to be crucial to his chances of staying on at Stamford Bridge.
Still, if we are nearing the end of the Italian tactician’s short reign in west London, who could be an ideal replacement for him?
We’ve picked out seven top candidates who could come in and sort things out before then also inevitably being sacked after a dip in form after, who knows, a year? And then the whole wretched cycle can start again.
For now, what do we think of these options, Chelsea fans?
1) Carlo Ancelotti
If Jose Mourinho can have two stabs at the Chelsea job, surely Carlo Ancelotti deserves another go by now?
The Napoli manager has done a decent job after inheriting Sarri’s job in Naples, and tends to win big trophies pretty much everywhere he goes.
In his remarkable career, Ancelotti has three Champions League titles under his belt, plus league titles in Italy, France, Germany, oh, and England of course.
Ancelotti was sacked by Chelsea just a year after winning the double, which was probably a tad premature, so CFC fans would surely welcome him back to sort things out now?
2) Zinedine Zidane
A man who’s going to be linked with a whole host of big jobs after his immense success at Real Madrid, perhaps Zinedine Zidane could be the man for Chelsea.
The French tactician won three Champions League finals in a row in less than three full seasons at the Bernabeu, and also picked up a La Liga title in that time.
One of the greatest players of all time is now looking like fast becoming a leading coach as well, even if some doubts remain about whether he could replicate his Real Madrid success elsewhere.
Admittedly, this Chelsea team looks like a far bigger challenge after a pretty dire couple of seasons, and with doubts over the future of Eden Hazard.
Then again, could a move to hire Zidane be precisely what’s needed to help the London giants keep the Belgian?
“Everyone knows the respect I have for Zidane as a player, but also as a manager. He was my idol,” Hazard told HLN, as quoted by the Telegraph in 2017.
At the time that looked a worrying statement amid links with Real Madrid, but with Zidane stepping down last summer, this could be a huge opportunity for Chelsea to kill two birds with one stone.
3) Mauricio Pochettino
Undoubtedly one of the finest managers in Europe, it’s surely time for Mauricio Pochettino to leave Tottenham for a bigger club.
That might seem harsh on Spurs, who have often been better or at least equal to Chelsea in recent seasons, despite their lack of silverware to show for it.
Pochettino has done a great job on a limited budget in north London, and could perhaps be tempted to have more money to play around with at a team like Chelsea.
The Daily Express recently claimed CFC were interested in the Argentine, who has of course also been linked with Manchester United.
4) Gianfranco Zola
Currently Sarri’s assistant at Chelsea, it perhaps seems likely that Gianfranco Zola could be in with a chance of the main job at Stamford Bridge pretty soon.
A legend at the club from his playing days, Zola has not exactly had the most successful management career to date, but this could be a different kind of opportunity for him.
Zidane shone in similar circumstances despite a lack of experience before he took the Real Madrid job, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also currently working wonders at Manchester United.
Sports Mediaset have already suggested Zola could be in the running to take over at least temporarily if Sarri is sacked, and it may be an experiment worth trying for Chelsea.
5) Frank Lampard
Another club legend who might be worth considering is Chelsea hero Frank Lampard, who has made a hugely promising start to his management career at Derby County.
This could perhaps be a real gamble for the Blues so early on in Lampard’s coaching journey, but there’s no doubting his high standing at Stamford Bridge and the respect he’d command if he got the job.
Again, Chelsea might look at how the similarly inexperienced Solskjaer is doing at Man Utd and think there’s a chance for someone like Lampard to replicate that.
6) Diego Simeone
A big name who’s always linked with the top jobs when there’s a vacancy or about to be one, so could this finally be the chance for Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone to move to the Premier League?
The Argentine has done tremendous work in La Liga and seems an ideal fit for Chelsea, whose DNA is perhaps more rooted in his brand of defensive, organised football.
Still, Simeone has also proven very loyal to his current club, so perhaps this is just another opportunity he’d pass up.
7) Massimiliano Allegri
Similarly to Simeone, it would be wrong not to throw Massimiliano Allegri’s name out there if the Chelsea job does become available.
The Juventus manager has been a big hit in Serie A and it would be intriguing to see him try his luck in English football next.
Like Zidane, however, you have to wonder if Allegri would be able to build a team in the same way that would be required at Chelsea, which he just hasn’t really had to do at Juve, having inherited a squad of seasoned winners from Antonio Conte.
