By Benjamin Abioye
Liam Rosenior who served as an assistant to Wayne Rooney at his coaching debut at Derby Country has confirmed that he has reached a verbal understanding to take over as the new manager of Chelsea.
Speaking on Tuesday, the English coach described the move as a major step in his career and said it was “an opportunity I cannot turn down”.
The 41-year-old made the statement during a press conference at his current club, French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. He told reporters, “It looks like I am going to be the next manager of that football club (Chelsea).”
Rosenior has been strongly linked with the Chelsea job since Enzo Maresca was dismissed on Thursday. His name quickly rose to the top of the list, especially because both Chelsea and Strasbourg are owned by the same group, BlueCo.
If confirmed, Rosenior will become Chelsea’s fourth permanent manager since BlueCo took over the club in 2022. Despite never managing in the Premier League, the former Hull City boss is set to take on one of England’s biggest football jobs.
Chelsea have not yet officially announced his appointment. However, discussions were held with Rosenior in London on Monday, suggesting the process is close to completion.
Rosenior explained that he chose to speak publicly in Strasbourg because of his emotional connection to the club. He said, “Everything is agreed and it will probably go through in the next few hours.”
He added, “I’m here because I care about this club and I felt it was right to answer your questions physically here today before I move on.”
The former defender has not previously dealt with the intense media attention that comes with managing a top Premier League club. His early coaching experience included a short period working with Brighton’s under-23 team.
In 2019, Rosenior began senior coaching at Derby County, first working under Phillip Cocu and later serving as assistant to Wayne Rooney. In 2022, he briefly stepped in as interim manager before leaving the club.
Later that same year, he was appointed manager of Hull City in the Championship. After a little over 18 months in charge, he was dismissed from the role.
In July 2024, Rosenior took charge of Strasbourg. Under his leadership, the club finished seventh in the league last season, earning praise for their improvement.
An official announcement from Chelsea is now expected in the coming hours.
