LONDON (AP) — Chelsea confirmed the hiring of Liam Rosenior as its new manager, offering him a six-year deal after he left French club Strasbourg on Tuesday.
Rosenior, a strategist with an offensive vocation, becomes Chelsea’s second black manager after Ruud Gullit. Signed until 2032.
Rosenior has been praised for transforming Strasbourg, which is part of the same ownership group as Chelsea, into a leading team in Ligue 1 after finishing seventh last season, securing a place in the European cups.
“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 field. Although there will continue to be a focus on player development, the club’s expectations and ambitions remain high,” Chelsea said in a statement.
Rosenior’s previous jobs include a spell as assistant coach at Derby alongside Wayne Rooney, who praised his “incredible” work ethic and attention to detail.
Rosenior, 41, has never managed a Premier League club. Chelsea sacked Enzo Maresca last weekwho was in charge for 18 months.
Moving to Chelsea will bring a lot more visibility and pressure for Rosenior.
The fifth permanent coach since ownership consortium BlueCo took control in 2022, Rosenior inherits a team capable of high-level success but which has lacked consistency. Chelsea is fifth in the league with a gap of 17 points over leaders Arsenal.
“I am excited to work with this extremely talented group of players and staff, to build strong connections on and off the field, and to create an environment where everyone feels united and motivated by the same goal,” Rosenior said.
Landing the job at Chelsea is a rare high-level opportunity for a black British manager in the Premiership.
“This opportunity for me is something I cannot refuse at this moment in my life,” Rosenior said at a news conference in Strasbourg. He added that the prospect of reuniting with his family was an added incentive.
“It means I can go home and see my children. I’m far from my children, I missed them. And I wanted the sacrifice of not seeing them to be worth it, with the success we have here,” he said.
The son of former player and manager Leroy Rosenior, Liam played in the Premier League as a full-back with Fulham, Reading, Hull and Brighton over a 16-year professional career, as well as for the England Under-21 team.
He returned to Hull for his first assignment as head coach in 2022 and took over at Strasbourg two years later. After replacing Patrick Vieira, he oversaw a large-scale rebuilding project that delivered rapid results for a young team, guiding the development of players such as Argentine forward Joaquín Panichelli and Emmanuel Emegha.
Rosenior is expected to reunite with Emegha later this year as Chelsea have agreed a deal with Strasbourg for the Dutch striker to join the club in the summer.
Rosenior leaves his team in seventh place in the French league and qualified for the knockout phase of the UEFA Conference League.
“I don’t think anyone can question how hard I’ve worked for the club, my integrity in the way I’ve worked for this club. I don’t think anyone can question the decision I’ve made to move forward in my career,” Rosenior said.
The negative reaction in Strasbourg
His departure angered Strasbourg fans, opposed to the timeshare model. They called for the resignation of the club’s president, Marc Keller.
“Liam Rosenior’s departure marks a further humiliating step in Racing’s subordination to Chelsea. Every additional contortion by Marc Keller, every extra minute he spends at the helm of the club, is an insult to the remarkable work done before 2023… He must go. Now,” the Strasbourg fans’ federation said in a statement.
Strasbourg has been owned by BlueCo since 2023, and its arrival has been met with hostility from the club’s die-hard fans.
In September, Rosenior lashed out at fans who held up a banner criticizing Emegha and calling for him to return the captain’s armband due to his departure to Chelsea next season. The link between the clubs was used several times this summer, most notably when Chelsea sold English left-back Ben Chilwell to Strasbourg.
“I don’t think anyone can question how hard I’ve worked for the club, my integrity in the way I’ve worked for this club. I don’t think anyone can question the decision I’ve made to move forward with my career,” Rosenior said.
Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane will take charge on Wednesday’s visit to Fulham in the Premier League before Rosenior begins working with the team.
Ellingworth reported from Düsseldorf, Germany.
