Football Discussion | Is Liam Rosenior ready for Chelsea?

Another new era is about to start at Chelsea.

Liam Rosenior has emerged as the leading contender to become their next head coach.

Author | Lauren W

ICYMI Enzo Maresca is no longer Chelsea boss eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com/2026/01/is-c...

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Just 18 months after being dismissed by Championship side Hull City. His sudden prominence raises obvious questions about why he is now the favourite and whether appointing him would represent a sound decision.

The 41-year-old has enhanced his reputation at Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club also owned by Chelsea’s proprietors, the BlueCo consortium. His work in France has brought him firmly into view and opened the door to a move to Stamford Bridge.

Rosenior would succeed Enzo Maresca, who departed on Thursday after becoming the latest Chelsea manager to clash with the club’s hierarchy, despite having lifted the Club World Cup in the summer. If appointed, Rosenior would be the fourth of the past five Chelsea managers to have previously worked in the Championship.

He continued his duties with Strasbourg as normal on Saturday, taking charge of his pre-match press conference ahead of their fixture against Nice.

His managerial career so far

Rosenior was appointed assistant manager at Derby County on 15 January 2021 after Wayne Rooney was named as the club’s manager.

When Rooney resigned on 24 June 2022, Rosenior stepped up as interim head coach. He oversaw a run of respectable results during a challenging period for the club but was relieved of his duties on 21 September 2022, despite remaining an employee as Derby continued their search for a permanent appointment. Rosenior then had a two season spell at Hull City (see below) before moving to France.

Liam Rosenior as Hull City boss

One of Rosenior’s most notable achievements at Strasbourg has been guiding the club towards the upper reaches of Ligue 1 while relying heavily on young players, an approach that aligns closely with Chelsea’s recent recruitment strategy.

Chelsea fielded the youngest average starting XI in the Premier League last season, at 24 years and 36 days. Their oldest player is Tosin Adarabioyo at 28, and earlier this campaign they became the first team to have three teenagers score in a Champions League match.

Strasbourg have followed a similar path. In August they became the first club in Europe’s top five leagues to name a starting XI made up entirely of players born in the 2000s, recording an average age of 20 years and 283 days for their Ligue 1 match against Monaco. Their oldest player that day was 22.

Strasbourg finished seventh last season and occupy the same position again after 16 matches of the current campaign. They also topped their Conference League group with five wins and a draw, including victories over Crystal Palace and Aberdeen.

Rosenior has already worked with several Chelsea players, having managed Liam Delap at Hull City and Andrey Santos at Strasbourg last season. He could now be set to exchange the Conference League for the Champions League if his rapid rise continues.