Liam Rosenior, former Hull manager, joins from Strasbourg and appointed as Chelsea’s new head coach on six-year contract | Soccer News

Chelsea have announced the appointment of Liam Rosenior as their new head coach on a six-and-a-half year contract.

Rosenior joins from Strasbourg on a contract until 2032.

He said: “I am extremely humbled and honored to be appointed head coach of Chelsea Football Club. This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of trophy winning.”

Rossenia will be in charge of Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie against Championship side Charlton Athletic.

Callum MacFarlane, who managed Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City, will take charge of Wednesday’s Premier League game against Fulham, but Rosenior will be watching from the stands.

Speaking ahead of the game, MacFarlane said supporters could expect “aggressive, forward-footed football” from his new signings.

“I spoke to Liam a little bit last night,” MacFarlane said Tuesday. “He’s really excited to take on this role.

“Tomorrow I am leading the game and I have been told to do the best job I can to give him the three points and move on and grow from there.

“I really enjoy watching his teams,” added MacFarlane, who observed Rosenior’s Hull team while coaching the Under-21s at Southampton. “Agressive, forward-footed football, very good on the ball, good concept of positional play. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does with this club.”

Rosenior confirmed his impending move to Stamford Bridge at a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday morning, saying he was “ready” to take up the job.

The former Hull manager said: “I have been given permission to speak to one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“It was a privilege to be associated with a club like that and now it looks like I will be the next manager of that football club,” said the 41-year-old.

Rosenior played for Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull City and Brighton during his 16-year playing career.

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.

Despite lacking experience at a top-flight club and having only managed just 100 games in total, the incoming head coach insisted his new role was not a big enough task to take on.

“I’m really excited about the future. I’ve worked hard to become a coach and to be given this opportunity at a world-class soccer (club) is something I’ve always dreamed of,” he said.

“There are sadness and mixed emotions about what I’m leaving behind. Today is the last day I wake up as Strasbourg manager.

“I hope the fans here understand that. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but I wouldn’t have accepted it if I didn’t think I was ready.”

“The reality is that Strasbourg is not at Chelsea’s level. There are some clubs you can’t turn down. I hope the fans understand that.”

Former manager Enzo Maresca resigned from his role on January 1 and is understood to have resigned because he felt he could not maintain his position at a time when Chelsea were already considering sacking their head coach.

Why Rosenior signed a 6-year contract – how does the structure work?

Sky Sports News Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:

Rosenior has signed a six-year contract because Chelsea want stability going forward.

Enzo Maresca had a five-year contract with an option for another year. From the outside looking in, it’s easy to criticize Chelsea and say they’re insane for signing him to a six-year contract because it would cost so much to let him go. These contracts include break clauses, so they don’t cost a lot of money.

Stability should be a priority. That’s why we gave him a long-term contract. If things go wrong, there are mechanisms for both parties to help themselves out.

In Maresca’s contract, the logic behind long-term contracts between managers and players is to avoid constant renegotiations. Clubs do not want individuals who repeatedly ask for new contracts or salary increases after short-term successes.

There were also rumors that Maresca wanted a new contract with Chelsea after winning the Club World Cup in the summer. Chelsea’s position was clear. He already has five years left and there will be no new contract.

As for the job itself, Rosenior will be a head coach rather than a manager. He will not have complete autonomy. He has to work within existing structures, and he is already doing that in Strasbourg.

Now he must prove that he can outperform Maresca in important areas. This includes relations with the media and behavior at press conferences. He has to keep the message going.

Relationships with the medical sector are also important. There was significant friction between Maresca and the medical staff, particularly over decisions regarding players’ availability.

He also needs to win the hearts of his fans. Many Chelsea supporters fell in love with Maresca, but the relationship was far from seamless.

Carla: I don’t think Rosenior will have much influence at Chelsea

Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports:

“I was a big fan of Enzo Maresca 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?

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.”

Liam Rosenia’s 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…