Liam Rosenior was confirmed this Tuesday (6) as the new coach of Premier League Chelsea, following the departure of Italian Enzo Maresca last week.
The 41-year-old Englishman has signed a contract until 2032, becoming the fourth permanent coach appointed since the club’s acquisition led by American Todd Boehly in 2022.
“I am extremely honored and grateful to be appointed coach of Chelsea Football Club,” said Rosenior, who leaves his role at French club Racing Strasbourg, in a statement from the London club.
“This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies.”
Born in London, Rosenior, whose playing career included spells at Fulham, Hull City and Brighton and Hove Albion, took charge of Strasbourg in July 2024 after experiences as a coach at Derby County, where he was Wayne Rooney’s assistant, and Hull in the English second division.
The former England striker described Rosenior as “one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with”.
Although he is relatively inexperienced as a top-level coach, his reputation was enhanced after leading Strasbourg to European qualification following a seventh-place finish in the French Championship.
In that squad was the young Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, on loan from Chelsea.
“He’s a great coach. I love working with him. All the players are excited by his commitment and his vision,” said Andrey Santos, who scored ten league goals for Strasbourg last season.
Rosenior has become the leading candidate to replace Maresca, largely due to the fact that Strasbourg and Chelsea are part of the same multi-club ownership structure, with the French club being acquired by Boehly’s BlueCo consortium in 2023.
His immediate task will be to turn around Chelsea’s poor run of form after a run of just one win in eight Premier League games, although he will likely watch from the Craven Cottage stand on Wednesday when Chelsea visit London rivals Fulham, with under-21s coach Calum McFarlane in charge.
Rosenior’s debut in charge will be on Saturday (10), away from home, in the FA Cup, against Charlton Athletic.
Chelsea were third in the table in November and were tipped as one of the title contenders, but have since dropped to fifth place and are 17 points behind leaders Arsenal after 20 rounds.
Despite qualifying Chelsea for the Champions League and winning the FIFA Club World Cup last year, Maresca’s relationship with the club has become increasingly contentious.
Rosenior will have the mission of stabilizing the team and getting the most out of an expensive squad full of renowned international names, a contrast to his time at Strasbourg, where he worked with a little-known squad.
“My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects those values in every game we play as we continue to win titles,” he said. “Having this responsibility means everything to me and I want to thank everyone involved for the opportunity and the trust placed in me to take on this role.”
Rosenior had already used an interview with journalists still at Strasbourg to announce that he had agreed his transfer to Chelsea, saying that his assistants Kalifa Cissé and Justin Walker would accompany him.
“The last 18 months have been a joy and the best of my professional career,” said Rosenior.
“I have received offers from many clubs, including the Champions League, with which I have always been transparent with our president, Marc Keller, and the board. I will love this club for the rest of my life, but I cannot refuse Chelsea.”
