Liam Rosenior has done little to dampen suggestions that he is on course to become Chelsea’s new manager, sticking by past comments about his desire to work in the Premier League while failing to rule out the possibility that Strasbourg’s Ligue 1 draw with OGC Nice was his “last match” in charge of the French club.
Rosenior is heavily favoured to replace Enzo Maresca, whose sudden departure was announced on New Year’s Day following a breakdown in his relationship with senior Chelsea officials.
The Blues are being led by Under-21 head coach Calum McFarlane on a temporary basis, at least for Sunday’s huge Premier League clash with Manchester City, while Rosenior oversaw Strasbourg’s trip to France’s south coast on Saturday.
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Afterwards, having already been quizzed about Chelsea in the buildup to that game—insisting he is only interested in doing his job but could offer “zero guarantees” about anything else—Rosenior was again questioned by local reporters.
One line of questioning focused on the coach’s past claims about managing in the Premier League. When asked if that was still the case he admitted: “For sure.” Rosenior added: “I want my players to be ambitious. Every coach wants to work at the highest possible level—I’ve never been afraid to say that—and I’m working a very high level here.”
The former Fulham defender was at pains to stress how perfectly happy he is with his job in Strasbourg, but is equally clear in not ruling out making the jump back to London.
“It’s a very beautiful city, with very beautiful people, a great club. I love everything. The players are incredible. I really want the best for this club,” Rosenior said, a message some might view as a farewell.
“I don’t know if this is my last match. In life, you never know,” he added.
“There’s nothing concrete in these discussions. They’re just discussions. What will be, will be.”
Rosenior is already under the BlueCo umbrella, with Strasbourg owned by Chelsea’s parent company since 2023 and serving often a trading partner and farm team for the Premier League side.
His appointment would also represent another less high-profile choice after previously hiring Maresca off the back of guiding Leicester to the Championship title. This feels extremely far removed from Chelsea, albeit under different leadership, once upon a time pursuing the likes of José Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and even Thomas Tuchel.
The Chelsea hierarchy, with fan ire particularly directed towards co-owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, has come under increased scrutiny over the Maresca debacle. Fan group Not a Project CFC is attempting to organise a protest aimed at the ownership for the day of the Premier League meeting with Brentford on Jan. 17, accusing BlueCo of running Chelsea “less like an elite club and more like a player trading farm.”
Their call to action read: “This is a peaceful, fan-led protest by Chelsea supporters who feel increasingly disconnected from the leadership and direction of our club. This is not about individual players. This is not about online point-scoring. And it is not about scapegoating one manager. This protest is about the ownership model and sporting structure led by Behdad Eghbali now driving Chelsea Football Club.
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“Since the takeover. Chelsea has been run less like an elite club and more like a player trading farm, focused on churn, speculation and long-term potential at the expense of present day competitiveness.
“Responsibility for this direction lies with the current leadership: Behdad Eghbali, alongside the sporting directors Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields. Sam Jewell and the rest of the sporting leadership team.
“They have been entrusted with football strategy, recruitment and squad building. Simply put, they have FAILED to meet the standards required at a club of Chelsea’s size, history and ambition.”
