Juande Ramos for Chelsea? Roman Abramovich in crisis talks as shock name emerges to replace Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea manager is looking increasingly uncertain after his position was reportedly discussed by officials following the club's 2-1 defeat to surprise Premier League leaders Leicester City on Monday night (14 December). Such a dispiriting loss was their ninth in just 16 league fixtures so far this term and last season's dominant champions are now just one point clear of the relegation zone, heading towards the busy festive period.

With his job security already seemingly in question, Mourinho launched into an extraordinary post-match rant at the King Power Stadium in which he criticised his players and claimed he felt that his work had been "betrayed". The Portuguese gaffer also conceded that his team's chances of finishing in the top four had all but disappeared following goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez in the East Midlands.

The BBC now reports that the Chelsea hierarchy, led by owner Roman Abramovich, have held talks regarding their manager since that defeat in Leicester as part of wider discussions regarding how they can halt such an alarming slide. They add that there has been no emergency board meeting scheduled for today (16 December), but claim that it remains uncertain whether or not Mourinho will be in the dugout for this weekend's match against Sunderland.

In the event that his second spell in charge is brought to a premature end, The Times have speculated that former Sevilla boss Juande Ramos is being considered as a shock possible caretaker appointment.

The Spaniard was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in October 2008 with the club rooted to the foot of the Premier League, and later had short stints in charge at Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow before rebuilding his reputation during a positive four-year spell in charge of last year's beaten Europa League finalists Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Guus Hiddink, who performed a similar role at Chelsea and even won the FA Cup following the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2009, is also apparently being considered for another temporary stint. The 69-year-old is currently unemployed following a hugely disappointing 10-month spell in charge of his native Netherlands.