Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior has confirmed his appointment as Chelsea’s new manager.
The 41-year-old announced his move to Stamford Bridge at a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday morning.
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.
“I haven’t signed anything yet, but I have a verbal agreement with Chelsea.
“Everything is agreed upon and will probably be done within the next few hours. I came here because I felt it was right to physically answer your questions here today.”
Rosseniol is expected to take over as Chelsea’s head coach in time for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie against Championship side Charlton Athletic.
Callum McFlarane, who managed Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City, will take charge in Wednesday’s Premier League game against Fulham.
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.
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.
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?
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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.”
Liam Rosenia’s profile
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.
Chelsea and Strasbourg have similar playing styles
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…
