Liam Rosenior, Ligue 1 side Strasbourg manager, is set to become the next head coach of Chelsea FC. This move comes after a series of events that saw Enzo Maresca leave Stamford Bridge on New Year's Day due to a breakdown in relations with other departments.
Rosenior will meet with the Chelsea sporting leadership team on Monday for a formal interview. The meeting aims at discussing his potential role as Maresca's replacement.
Strasbourg and Chelsea share common ownership under BlueCo. Marc Keller, Strasbourg president, and David Weir, their sporting director are also scheduled to fly into London for talks with BlueCo representatives. Their agenda includes interviewing replacements for Rosenior at Strasbourg and finalizing a shortlist of three candidates. Among those shortlisted is Gary O'Neil, former Wolves and Bournemouth boss who has been out of work since leaving Wolves in December 2024 after successfully keeping them in the Premier League during his tenure.
Fast-paced developments expected
Chelsea plans to expedite this process as they aim to have an appointment ready before their game against Fulham on Wednesday which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Sky Sports News had previously reported that Rosenior was leading the race for this role. It seems unlikely that Chelsea would pursue other candidates such as Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi.
Rosenior boasts an impressive career both as a player and coach. He played for Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull City and Brighton over his 16-year playing career before retiring in 2018. As a coach he almost guided Hull City to Championship play-offs in 2024. He then took over as head coach of Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo. Under his leadership, the French club finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.
Maresca's departure from Chelsea was reportedly due to a feeling that his position had become untenable. This was coupled with poor results, disagreements with the medical team and media comments that did not sit well with the management. Reports linking him to other clubs were also a contributing factor to his exit.
