Liam Rosenior has indicated he could leave Strasbourg to become Chelsea's head coach, admitting there are no guarantees he will remain at the Ligue 1 club beyond this season. The 41-year-old is the leading candidate to replace Enzo Maresca, who departed Stamford Bridge on New Year's Day, with progress on a deal expected in the coming days.
The principal obstacle is BlueCo, the investment vehicle that owns both Chelsea and Strasbourg, which is keen to avoid destabilising the French side. A suitable replacement must be lined up before Rosenior can depart, meaning he will be in the Strasbourg dugout for Saturday's match against Nice. Calum McFarlane, Chelsea's Under-21s coach, is set to take interim charge for Sunday's trip to Manchester City, but there are no guarantees Rosenior will be installed in time for Wednesday's visit to Fulham.
Speaking on Friday, Rosenior acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his future. "There are no guarantees in life," he said. "What I do know is that I put everything into this job. I've created some unbelievable connections with the people at this club. We've created some really great memories. You can't guarantee anything in life. In terms of interest for other clubs, I've had a lot of interest."
Rosenior, a former Brighton defender, is understood to have rejected approaches from Premier League sides and Bayer Leverkusen during his time at Strasbourg, who sit seventh in Ligue 1 and are among the favourites for the Conference League. He has longstanding relationships with three of Chelsea's five sporting directors, and the club are attracted by his tactical similarity to Maresca.
While Chelsea have alternative plans in place, including an interest in Porto's Francesco Farioli, the expectation is that Rosenior will eventually take charge. BlueCo have long viewed him as Maresca's long-term successor, even before the Italian's tenure faltered. McFarlane, meanwhile, described being unexpectedly thrust into the interim role. "I was actually on the way to a Windsor light show with my family," he said. "I got a call and I said I can be in in an hour. The missus wasn't very happy about that."
