Liam Rosenior has been appointed as Chelsea’s next head coach, with a 2032 contract. Rosenior revealed he had “verbally agreed” to quit his position at Strasbourg to take over at Chelsea earlier on Tuesday during a news conference in France, saying he “could not turn down” the chance. BlueCo, a group headed by American entrepreneur Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, owns Strasbourg and Chelsea.
Rosenior travelled to London to resume negotiations with Strasbourg president Marc Keller and sporting director David Weir, as The Athletic reported on Sunday. On Monday, the 41-year-old took a flight back to Strasbourg.
The FA Cup third-round match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday will be Rosenior’s first game as manager. The Englishman will watch Wednesday’s Premier League trip to Fulham from the stands. Calum McFarlane, the Under-21 manager who oversaw Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City, will once again be in charge of this match.
In his news conference, Rosenior stated, “I was given permission to speak to one of the biggest sporting clubs in the world,” according to BBC Sport. It appears that I will take over as Chelsea’s manager in the near future.
Liam Rosenior says he could not turn down Chelsea
On January 1, The Athletic revealed that Rosenior was the front-runner to succeed Enzo Maresca, who had been fired by Chelsea earlier that day, less than two years into his contract.
In a statement confirming Rosenior’s hiring, Chelsea added, “Liam has shown that he can build teams with a clear way of playing while setting the highest standards with players on and off the pitch.” The club’s goals and expectations are still high, but player development will continue to be a priority.
Rosenior described his 18 months with Strasbourg as “the best of my professional career” and stated that although he has “agreed verbally with Chelsea” and that “it will probably go through in the next few hours,” he has not yet formally signed a deal with Chelsea.
“I have been open to Marc (Keller) and our ownership, and I have had interest from many clubs, including Champions League clubs,” he continued. “I will always love this club, but I can’t refuse Chelsea.”
Rosenior also mentioned that analyst Ben Warner and his Strasbourg assistants Kalifa Cisse and Justin Walker will join him at Chelsea.
