Rosenior set to be the next Chelsea head coach & will take interview in next 24h

Liam Rosenior set to be the next Chelsea head coach unless there are any last-minute issues.

The Strasbourg boss remains the leading candidate for the role. Rosenior will meet the Chelsea sporting leadership team tomorrow alongside the Strasbourg president and sporting director, who will be interviewing his replacements 

Chelsea want to move quickly to replace Enzo Maresca and an appointment could be made in time for their game at Fulham on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.

Calum McFarlane took charge of Chelsea for their visit to the Etihad Stadium and guided his side to a 1-1 draw against Man City thanks to a late equaliser from Enzo Fernandez.

Speaking after the game, McFarlane said: "When I originally took over I was told I would take the Man City game and there's a chance the new manager might be in on Monday, that's what I was told originally.

"It's Sunday now, we've been solely focused on the game. For all I know, the new manager will be in shortly and I will lead the team until he's in."

Sky Sports News previously reported that Rosenior is the leading candidate for the role, with the club unlikely to pursue Oliver Glasner, Cesc Fabregas, Andoni Iraola or Roberto De Zerbi.

Rosenior played for Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull City and Brighton during a 16-year playing career.

After hanging up his boots in 2018, Rosenior almost guided Hull to the Championship play-offs in 2024 and then became head coach of Strasbourg, who are owned by Chelsea's parent company BlueCo. The French club finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season.

Maresca left his role as Chelsea head coach on New Year's Day after 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge,

The Italian departed with the club fifth in the Premier League table following one win from their last seven top-flight games.

Sky Sports News has reported that Maresca's exit was unanimously agreed by Chelsea's board. There had been a breakdown in relations with the club amid a run of disappointing results.

Maresca is understood to have stepped down because he felt his position was untenable, while Chelsea were already considering sacking the head coach due to poor results, his comments in the media, disagreements with the medical team and reports linking him with other clubs.

Carra: I don't see Rosenior making huge impact at Chelsea

Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:

"I was a big fan of Enzo Marescsa as a manager. When he came up against some of the biggest managers in this league, he more than held his own. But I could see this coming: you can't start speaking out of turn at any club, but especially Chelsea who have so many sporting directors.

"As soon as the results started to deteriorate in the last few weeks, he didn't turn up at a press conference, this was inevitable.

"Now Maresca's gone, the focus will be on the club and the ownership. I've been quite critical of the way they've gone about it over the last three and a half years.

"If you look at the timeline of managers: they inherited Thomas Tuchel, a Champions League winning manager. It now looks like they're going to inherit Liam Rosenior, who has managed Derby, Hull and Strasbourg.

"It's a great opportunity for him, but Chelsea Football Club and their supporters are not used to those appointments. They are used to Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Antonio Conte - big-name managers coming to make a huge impact on their club. I don't see Rosenior doing that."

Who is Rosenior?

You'd have got good odds on Rosenior becoming Chelsea head coach within two years when he was unceremoniously sacked by Hull in May 2024.

But just as Strasbourg has become somewhat of a feeder club for BlueCo to develop players before moving them across to Chelsea, it appears they have decided to do the same for the management team too.

A club realistically yearning for a return to challenging for Premier League and Champions League titles may not make such a move, but this is the model Chelsea are looking to adopt. Maresca's final line-up was the youngest named by any Premier League team all season, and now his potential successor would become the third-youngest manager in the division.

That does not mean Rosenior joins without experience. He has managed over 150 matches and spent three years as a coach beforehand too. More than enough to delve into his management style and playing philosophy.

His controlled, passing style on the ball has evolved at Strasbourg to incorporate a higher press off it - the sixth-best in Ligue 1 this season - and would not require any significant uprooting of Maresca's philosophies should he take to the training pitches soon.