Liam Rosenior, the 41-year-old former Brighton youth coach and current Strasbourg manager, has become the favourite to replace Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. His rapid rise from columnist to interim manager at Derby, full-time roles at Hull City and Strasbourg has impressed the Blues' hierarchy, with his tactical acumen and media experience seen as key assets.
Rosenior credits Wayne Rooney as a key influence during their time together at Derby County, praising Rooney's pressure management and man-management skills learned from Sir Alex Ferguson. He also cites NFL coach Bill Belichick as an inspiration. After Rooney's sacking, Rosenior led Derby on an interim basis, earning him the permanent job at Hull in November 2022, where he narrowly missed the Championship playoffs before being surprisingly sacked.
At Strasbourg, despite not speaking French, Rosenior has relied on translator and assistant Kalifa Cissé, impressing players and the BlueCo hierarchy with his intelligence and ambition. His tactical approach—a fluid 3-2-5 in possession and 4-3-3 out of it with a high press—closely mirrors Maresca's system, allowing for a smoother transition. He also developed Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos last season.
Rosenior's path is unusual for an English manager, but he has embraced the freedom of coaching abroad. If appointed, he would become only the 10th permanent black manager in Premier League history, a cause championed by his father, Leroy Rosenior, an anti-racism campaigner. Liam has emphasised the importance of representation in management, noting the disparity between the 43% black players in the Premier League and just 4% of managerial jobs going to black former professionals.
