The club's proprietors say they'll allow the ex-Brighton manager time to turn things around, but who would take over if he were to leave?

Chelsea, who currently sits in midtable, recently suffered a loss to the Premier League's worst team, Southampton. Under Roman Abramovich, such a situation would have likely resulted in the termination of a manager's tenure in the Stamford Bridge bench, but Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali appear to be set on a different course.

Manager Graham Potter will be allowed time to supervise what could be a difficult transition, the co-owners have reaffirmed despite the Blues' humbling loss that prolonged their poor run of form to two victories in 14 games.

However, circumstances and attitudes in sport can shift fast, so who could Chelsea turn to if the Potter project is ultimately shelved?

Mauricio Pochettino

As soon as the heat was turned up on Potter, he was inevitably mentioned as a possible replacement, just as Thomas Tuchel had been the year prior.

While Pochettino has been unemployed since his disastrous stint with PSG ended in the summer, he would be a strong candidate to replace Potter at Chelsea.

They will be cautious of his disappointing stint in Paris, and if Antonio Conte leaves Spurs at the end of the season, they may face strong competition from his old side.

Zinedine Zidane

Since Zidane's second tenure as manager of Real Madrid ended in 2021, he has been acting evasive.

The three-time Champions League-winning boss has reportedly been courted by PSG, France, and the United States, but he is currently unemployed.

Given how little Zidane has in common with Potter, Chelsea's management would be making a significant course correction if they hired him. Zizou may be a controversial figure, but his management record speaks for itself, and he has experience dealing with egotistical players, of which there are many at Stamford Bridge.

Luis Enrique

Following Spain's elimination from the 2022 World Cup in the round of 16, Luis Enrique resigned as head coach. However, we expect him to quickly return to a prominent managing position.

A dedicated footballing idealist, on theory he should be able to chart a course for Chelsea over the next few years; in practice, however, this will be much more difficult than expected due to the club's recent, unprecedented player change.

The 52-year-inactivity old's and the fact that he has never managed in the Premier League could work against him in a competitive employment market.

So, the Spaniard could provide the exciting football that Boehly and company are seeking.

Diego Simeone

It's difficult to picture Atlético Madrid without Simeone patrolling the sidelines. Even so, El Cholo's fate is unclear for this coming campaign.

His contract is up in the summer, and things between him and the Wanda Metropolitano's administration seem to have deteriorated. Meanwhile, Atleti's play on the field has stalled, and the team is currently 18 points behind La Liga champions Barcelona.

In spite of his recent failures, Simeone has an outstanding track record in the Spanish city. However, Boehly may still rely on him for some degree of success in the near term despite the fact that he does not meet the "plays excellent football" criteria.

Keep Joao Felix in your thoughts if this occurs before the end of his lease. Just as he thought he'd escaped his enemy, he realizes he wasn't so lucky.

Roberto De Zerbi

Many fans of the south coast side were pessimistic when they heard that Potter had signed with Chelsea.

However, since taking over in September, de Zerbi has made these naysayers taste their words by leading the Seagulls to even greater success.

The Italian has made some subtle changes to Brighton's approach, making them into a formidable pressing engine and winning over many neutral supporters in the process.

According to reports, his buyout is somewhere around £11.5 million. That's a ton of cash, but Boehly has never let a lack of it stop him before.

Thomas Tuchel

Chelsea's possible return to their partner after only a short time period. In sports, stranger things have occurred.

Tuchel's comments soon after leaving the club indicate he still has a lot of love for the Blues, and Jose Mourinho's success during his second stint at Stamford Bridge proves that it's possible to achieve similar results.

The main problem is how ridiculous it would make Boehly appear. In general, billionaires dislike this.