Barring any last-minute issues, Liam Rosenior is set to become Chelsea’s next head coach.
Rosenior will replace Enzo Maresca, who left Stamford Bridge on January 1, and will meet with Chelsea’s sporting leadership team on Monday.
Strasbourg chairman Mark Keller and sporting director David Weir are also flying to London to discuss talks with Blueco, which owns Chelsea and the French club. They will be interviewing Mr. Rosenior’s successor and will have a shortlist of three candidates.
Former Wolves and Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neill is on that list and has been out of work since leaving Wolves in December 2024 after successfully securing a spot in the Premier League last season.
Chelsea want to move quickly and he could be booked in time for Wednesday’s game against Fulham, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
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Sky Sports’ chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol has reported that Liam Rosenior is set to interview at Chelsea and, barring any last-minute issues, will become the club’s new head coach.
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Liam Rosenior has been linked with the Stamford Bridge job and faced tough questions over whether he will be available for Chelsea matches in the near future.
Callum MacFarlane took charge of Chelsea on the visit to the Etihad Stadium, guiding them to a 1-1 draw with Man City thanks to Enzo Fernandes’ second-half equaliser.
MacFarlane said after the game: “When I first took over, I was told I would be in the Man City game, but there could be a new manager coming in on Monday, that was the first thing I was told.”
“It’s Sunday now. We’ve been concentrating only on the game. As far as I know, a new manager will be taking over soon and I will be leading the team until he takes over.”
Sky Sports News previously reported that Rosenior was the frontrunner for the role, with the club unlikely to pursue Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi.
Rosenior played for Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull City and Brighton during his 16-year playing career.
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Clinton Morrison pays tribute to Rosenior and believes he can contribute to Chelsea
After retiring in 2018, Rosenior almost led Hull to the Championship play-offs in 2024 before becoming head coach of Strasbourg, part of Chelsea’s parent company Bruco. The French club finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.
It is understood that Maresca resigned because he felt he could not maintain his position, but Chelsea were already considering sacking him due to poor results, comments he made in the media, disagreements with the medical team and reports about his relationship with other clubs.
Carla: I don’t think Rosenior will have much influence at Chelsea
Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports:
“I was a big fan of Enzo Marescia as a manager. When he faced the greatest managers in this league, he more than held his own. But I could see this coming. You can’t start speaking out of turn at any club, but especially Chelsea, who have a lot of sporting directors.”
“As soon as his results started to deteriorate in recent weeks, he did not appear at press conferences, but this was inevitable.
“Now that Maresca is gone, the focus will shift to the club and the ownership. I have been quite critical of the way they have run over the last three-and-a-half years.”
“If you look at the chronology of managers, they took over from Thomas Tuchel, who was a Champions League winning manager, and now it looks like they will take over from Liam Rosenior, who managed Derby, Hull and Strasbourg.
“It’s a great opportunity for him, but Chelsea Football Club and its supporters are not used to that appointment. They are used to big managers like Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Antonio Conte coming in to have a big impact on the club. I don’t see Rosenior doing anything like that.”
“I don’t think this is the kind of appointment that will propel Chelsea to winning the Premier League or the Champions League.”
Is an inexperienced manager right for an inexperienced Chelsea team?
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Gary Neville says Chelsea need experience at both management and player level after Enzo Maresca left the west London club.
Gary Neville from Sky Sports:
“You really can’t win anything against kids, that’s a fact. Alan Hansen was absolutely right.
“Chelsea need experience inside and outside the club.
“I also think if you have young players on the pitch you need an experienced manager. But it looks like they are going to appoint a young manager again. I think young players need a certain amount of authority and guidance around them.”
Who is Liam Rosenier?
Liam Rozenier Career Profile
When Rosenior was unceremoniously sacked by Hull in May 2024, there was every chance that Rosenior would become Chelsea’s head coach within two years.
But just as Strasbourg has become a feeder club for Bruco to develop players before moving them to Chelsea, it appears they have decided to do the same for the management.
A club realistically aspiring to return to a Premier League or Champions League title challenge may not make such a move, but this is the model Chelsea are looking to adopt. Maresca’s final squad was the youngest to be named by any Premier League team over the course of the season, and his potential successor will now become the third-youngest manager in the division.
That doesn’t mean Rosenior will be joining without experience. He has managed over 150 games and previously spent three years as a coach. It’s more than enough to dig into his management style and playing philosophy.
His ball-controlled passing style, which has evolved to incorporate higher pressing at Strasbourg, is the sixth best in Ligue 1 this season, and there would be no need to drastically uproot Maresca’s philosophy if he were to take to the training pitch soon.
Read more from Ron Walker on Sky Sports…
