Chelsea have not taken flight since the arrival of Todd Boehly in the ownership role last year, and despite spending in excess of £550m on the transfer front since his arrival, the west London giants languish in tenth place in the Premier League and face a woeful end to woeful season.

What's the latest on Chelsea's manager situation?

Some are calling for manager Graham Potter to be dismissed from duty, having replaced Thomas Tuchel at the head of the table weeks into the start of the season, with the German manager sacked after Chelsea's struggling start to the campaign.

While the mess the Blues are engulfed in cannot be solely attributed to Potter, he is the man at the helm and it is inexcusable that, given the rate of new arrivals, the club have won just one of their past ten matches across all competitions and are 11 points adrift of top-four.

And according to Football Insider, illustrious former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has been distinguished by the Chelsea board, who held an emergency meeting earlier this week to combat the situation; out of work since resigning from Los Blancos in 2021, Zidane would bring a wealth of experience and a supreme winning mentality.

Imagine Marc Cucurella under Zidane

Despite Real Madrid being Zidane's sole senior managerial role, the 50-year-old has won three Champions League and two La Liga titles, with only Carlo Ancelotti winning Europe's premier continental tournament on more occasions.

And having been named the World's Best Club Coach in consecutive years, it is undeniable that he possesses the apt mentality to instil confidence and swagger back across the Chelsea squad.

Across his two spells at the helm of the Madrid ship, Zidane has recorded a points-per-match average of 2.30 and 2.04, highly impressive given Ancelotti's current record in his second spell with the outfit stands at 2.29.

The World Cup winner's tactical ingenuity is one of his most salient strengths, and among Chelsea's expansive but beleaguered crop, he would only enhance their fortunes, with £60m summer signing Marc Cucurella perhaps cashing in.

Cucurella, despite a remarkable debut Premier League term with Brighton & Hove Albion last year, has not replicated the feats at Stamford Bridge, branded a "defensive liability" by journalist Okon Nya for his woes.

However, given the semblance between the £175k-per-week gem's own game and Madrid legend Marcelo's, there is no reason why Zidane - who was hailed as a "real luxury" by ex-midfielder Marcos Llorente - can't nurture him into the force many expected him to be.

As per WhoScored, Marcelo completed 83.2% of his passes over his career, also averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions; Cucurella, comparatively, has recorded a 76.6% pass success rate, while averaging two tackles and 0.8 interceptions, and while he hasn't quite exhibited the offensive side he would have liked, an area Marcelo was renowned in, Zidane's fluid philosophy could break this aspect of his game out of hibernation.

Pulling off a deal for a manager of Zidane's calibre would be nothing short of a major coup, and one that reflects onto the squad that boasts a collective skill set, on paper, that can rival any top aspiring outfit across Europe.

And should the Frenchman indeed take to the dugout in west London, the likes of Cucurella, who was hailed a "class act" by former Seagulls team-mate Lewis Dunk, might finally start exuding the quality that earned him the extravagant move last summer.