Frank Lampard is now standing on the trapdoor of being Roman Abramovich's latest managerial victim at Chelsea following a poor run of form.
A 2-0 defeat to Leicester City in midweek has left the Blues facing an uphill battle to secure a top-four spot this season, having spent over £200m in the summer transfer window.
Club legend Lampard is now facing a crucial run of fixtures with Luton Town in the FA Cup followed by Premier League clashes against Wolves, Burnley, Tottenham and Sheffield United.
Whether the Blues' all-time leading scorer is given time to turn things around remains to be seen but the Independent reports Abramovich has already made one big decision.
It's stated that Chelsea would not look to appoint an interim boss to take charge for the remainder of the season and, if Lampard was to be axed, the search would begin for an immediate replacement.
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is among the leading candidates to succeed Lampard at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea may struggle to tempt him to leave the Bundesliga side midway through the campaign, as they compete with Bayern Munich for the league title.
Thomas Tuchel, axed by Paris Saint-Germain last year, is another leading option and would be available to come in immediately.
It's added Chelsea would only make a change if one of their preferred candidates was immediately available - and former Juventus boss Max Allegri is not under consideration.
For now though, the pressure is on Lampard to turn things around and save Chelsea's season from disaster.
