Chelsea have been warned that Mauricio Pochettino may not be available for much longer as questions surrounding Graham Potter's future lingers on. It has been 30 years since a run this bad was endured and nothing of the type happened during Roman Abramovich's near two-decade long ownership.
The fact that 12 managers lost their jobs during his 19 years in charge means very little now though. The new owners are ready to push through the tricky period despite it angering fans and confusing pundits. Potter was handed a long-term contract in September, the longest and most lucrative of any manager in the club's history.
Todd Boehly and Co aren't ready to lose their patience and pull the trigger just yet but what is clear is that Potter faces a massive three matches in his Stamford Bridge career. With a trip to Tottenham on Sunday coming before what looks to be a two-game shootout to keep his job.
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If there isn't an improvement in results against Leeds and Borussia Dortmund - with Chelsea's European football status at stake - then the line for even Boehly may be crossed. Until then though he will simply remain unpopular with fans but in charge of the team.
Should things not get better though and Potter may find himself moved on at the end of the season. This would still leave them needing a permanent manager moving forward, a major issue of itself with no clear candidate. Thomas Tuchel has been linked with a miraculous return but that appears highly unlikely. Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid future is uncertain but he doesn't fit the style of coach for the new ownership.
Jose Mourinho is on the list for the bookies but as an outsider for a third stint whilst Zinedine Zidane is a big name but without any true links to the club. Germany manager Hansi Flick has also been spoken of but he is just as much of an outsider as the others.
The one true favourite is ex-Spurs boss Pochettino. He hasn't returned to management since leaving Paris Saint-Germain over the summer and although reports suggest he declined an enquiry from Chelsea these have been rubbished. If the Argentine is to be the man for the job then the Blues will have to act quickly though.
Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, former midfield Jamie O'Hara thinks Tottenham themselves will be in the mix for the North London side's job next season. “We’ll see what happens with Antonio Conte at the end of the season, but I’ve got a sneaky feeling we’re going to see Pochettino back in the Spurs dugout come next season,” O’Hara said.
“I think Conte will run his contract out and I think he might just leave at the end of the season as a mutual agreement. I don’t think he’ll get sacked, he won’t leave on bad terms. I just don’t know if this has been the right move for him personally – in terms of where he wanted to go and how he saw it."
Conte is yet to commit his future to Spurs past the end of the season and has had a tough year personally. Pochettino, who was a fan favourite for the Lillywhites during his five-year spell - leading them to a Champions League final and two unlikely Premier League title charges - has been consistently mentioned as an option for top jobs since moving on in 2019.
"If Conte goes, there is only really one man for the job," O'Hara continued. "And that is to bring Pochettino back this summer. There’s unfinished business.
“Spurs were playing great football with Pochettino. The season he got sacked he fell out with Daniel Levy over players, and he was absolutely right – he didn’t get backed, he didn’t have the players that he wanted. Spurs needed to reinvest in the team, like we’ve seen this season with Liverpool.
"I think he’ll want to get back there now, with the new stadium, if he gets backed more… You might see a better Tottenham with Pochettino.”
This would, if Chelsea were to make a move of their own in the managerial market, be a big blow. O'Hara can see it happening too, with Potter under serious pressure from certain pundits and sections of the fanbase. “A bad defeat on Sunday could get Potter the sack,” O’Hara said.
“We don’t know what Todd Boehly is thinking, he might have this long-term project that he wants to stick with. But you can talk about long-term projects all you like, this is the Premier League, you need results now. If you have six bad results in the Premier League, your job is on the line.
“Chelsea are a huge club and the manager is not getting results, and we’re not allowed to talk about him getting sacked because he’s Graham Potter? Come on, if it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he’d already be out of the door. He’d already have packed his bags. Potter needs a win against Tottenham, it’s as simple as that. There is no long-term project if you’re Chelsea Football Club and you’re 10th in the Premier League.
“If it’s the Roman Abramovich era, Potter would be gone. If Roman Abramovich was at the football club and he’d spent all this money, Potter would be long gone.”
“We need to see a bit more passion on the sidelines, a bit more angriness towards his players. The fans are looking at Potter thinking, ‘come on, give us a bit more, we need more from you’. And I think the players are as well.
“They’ve had managers like Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel, who are big characters on and off the pitch, and then you’ve got Potter who is more calm and composed. But I’m not sure if the players are into that management style. The problem seems that the players aren’t into it and he’s struggling with that.”
The first thing is first for Chelsea though as they look to avoid dropping points away to Tottenham for the first time in over four years.
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