Chelsea have become infamous when it comes to changing managers in the last two decades or so. Well, despite it being the start of a new year, that trend does not look like changing.
Since Roman Abramovich replaced Claudio Ranieri with José Mourinho in 2004, the Blues have changed managers a further 17 times. The current ownership is seemingly no different to their Russian predecessor.
During the first campaign of Todd Boehly and BlueCo's ownership, they sacked both Thomas Tuchel and then Graham Potter, ending the season with Frank Lampard's ill-fated interim tenure, one that yielded just a solitary victory and eight defeats from 11 matches.
However, BlueCo have learned from their mistakes. They believe that mid-season managerial changes are simply too disruptive, hence why Mauricio Pochettino was given a full year before being dismissed.
Nevertheless, according to widespread reports, head coach Enzo Maresca is on the brink of resigning. It is currently very unlikely he will still be in charge by the time the Blues face Manchester City on Sunday.
Chelsea may have won only two of their last nine, but this has nothing to do with results.
Following last month's victory over Everton, Maresca stated that "the last 48 hours have been the worst [since I joined the club] because many people didn't support us". The Italian has been asked, on multiple occasions, to clarify these comments, but has refused to do so, intimating a breakdown in relationship between himself and the club's hierarchy, which has not gone down well upstairs.
Thus, despite leading them to fourth place in the Premier League, as well as UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup success, the 45-year-old departs after 92 matches in charge. Sunday's visit to the Etihad is the first of nine matches on Chelsea's schedule in a jam-packed January. The question now is, which new manager should they target?
Chelsea should target trophy-winning Premier League manager
The current favourite to become the next Chelsea manager, at least with the bookmakers anyway, is Liam Rosenior. He has done an excellent job in charge of BlueCo's other operation Strasbourg.
Nevertheless, supporters are sceptical, suggesting this would be something of a lazy hire. The 41-year-old's lack of experience, having been in charge of les Bleu et Blanc for just 62 matches, following stints with Derby and Hull, is also a concern.
Instead, Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano should make a move to appoint a manager already working in the Premier League, namely Oliver Glasner.
The Austrian is into the final six months of his contract at Crystal Palace, and widespread reports suggest it is extremely unlikely he will sign an extension, unhappy with the club's lack of investment in the team and his debilitating lack of squad depth.
Even if he were to depart, Glasner will surely forever be the Eagles' greatest-ever manager. He guided them to FA Cup glory in May, the club's first-ever major trophy, as well as leading them to a 19-match unbeaten run, Community Shield success and into Europe for the very first time.
So, could he be tempted with a move across the capital? Well, Glasner does have a history when it comes to jumping ship if he feels a better opportunity is on offer. Back in 2021, he lead Wolfsburg to Champions League qualification, but departed for Frankfurt, the side die Weißgrünen had pipped to fourth place by one point.
This, though, proved to be an astute move, making a real name for himself at Eintracht, leading die Adler to Europa League glory, knocking out Barcelona and West Ham en route, before defeating Rangers on penalties in the final at Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
So, in short, Glasner has won trophies in charge of two underdog teams and knows the Premier League, thereby seemingly making him the ideal candidate for the Chelsea vacancy, ready to take that next step and manage one of European football's elite.
The Austrian's preferred system is a back three, which would be a major shift away from Maresca's style, particularly mid-season, but is a formation that could get the best out of Reece James, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, João Pedro and others.
So, appointing Glasner appears to be a no-brainer, hence why Chelsea should do everything in their power to get him through the door as soon as possible, even if that means paying Palace a compensation package.