Fabio Cannavaro said taking Guangzhou Evergrande to the Chinese Super League title was "a miracle" and gave the strongest indication yet that he expects to keep his job.
The 46-year-old Italian World Cup winner was temporarily moved aside as coach in October but returned to lead China's most successful club to the championship on Sunday.
It was the former Juventus and Real Madrid defender's first major honour as a coach and a personal triumph after a turbulent few weeks during which he appeared to be on the brink of the sack.
"I know that many names have been mentioned as a replacement for me, including (Jose) Mourinho, (Zinedine) Zidane and (former Guangzhou coach) Scolari," Cannavaro told the Guangzhou Daily in a report published Tuesday, referring to recent rumours.
"For a team of Evergrande's level, fans hope to have the top coaches and the coach will definitely face various pressures.
"I'm definitely not a perfect coach and it's impossible to make everyone satisfied."