Swansea's caretaker manager Alan Curtis says there would be no guarantee the club would return to the Premier League if they were relegated this season.
Curtis and assistant manager Paul Williams will take charge of Saturday's match against Bournemouth after Bob Bradley's sacking.
Swansea want to appoint their new boss as soon as possible, with ex-Derby manager Paul Clement the first choice.
"We've got to go with somebody who will to get us out of trouble," he said.
"If we were to go down - and there's obviously that possibility - you look at the Championship and it seems to have got a lot stronger.