Strasbourg's Liam Rosenior the leading candidate for Chelsea job after Maresca exit
Enzo Maresca made a shock departure from Chelsea on January 1.
Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images
Liam Rosenior is the leading contender to replace Enzo Maresca as Chelsea head coach.
The 41-year-old former Hull City, Reading and Brighton & Hove Albion player currently tops the list of candidates following Maresca’s shock exit on January 1, although Chelsea have vetted other coaches.
Rosenior is known well by Chelsea’s hierarchy, having worked closely with them and impressed during his time at fellow BlueCo club Strasbourg. He also has a previous working relationship with both of the club’s co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
Rosenior guided Strasbourg to UEFA Conference League qualification in his first full season in charge and they are currently seventh in Ligue 1.
He has previously held managerial positions at Derby County, on an interim basis, and Hull. Rosenior joined Strasbourg in June 2024, and is under contract until 2028.
Chelsea remain firmly behind the approach brought in under the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly consortium following their takeover at Stamford Bridge in 2022, with any head coach expected to fit into a structure that doesn’t place too much emphasis on one individual and has a strong leadership team around them.
Maresca paid the price for a poor run of form which saw Chelsea win just once in the Premier League in December. He was previously named the league’s manager of the month for November.
The Athletic also reported Maresca is high on the list of candidates in the event Pep Guardiola leaves Manchester City with the Italian informing Chelsea he was in discussions with people associated with them in both October and December.
Maresca joined Chelsea in June 2024 fresh from guiding Leicester City to the Championship title and automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Maresca secured Champions League qualification with a fourth-placed league finish while winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup.
Chelsea, fifth in the Premier League, next face Manchester City on Sunday. Chelsea Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane will deputise at Friday’s pre-match press conference in Cobham.