Norwich City chief executive David McNally has conceded that the club have plans in place if they were to disperse of Chris Hughton's services.
Recent reports have suggested that Hughton's position as manager at Carrow Road is under threat following a run of form that has seen the Canaries drop to 16th in the Premier League table.
When asked if Norwich have a replacement in mind, McNally told the Eastern Daily Press: "It would be almost delinquent of the football club to not be aware of potential candidates if for any reason your manager left.
"If results are not good enough, you have to be aware of who is out there to help. You look at the market and who might be right for Norwich City.
"If we needed to make a change - and the average tenure of a Premier League manager is about a year-and-a-half, which puts Chris in the top six or top eight longest serving right now - then if a change was necessary it wouldn't be a case of, who are the contenders? It would be a case of reviewing what is required, where are we going and who is best placed to take the club forward."
Next up for Norwich is a home clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.
