Liam Rosenior Confirms Agreement with Chelsea to Replace Maresca

Liam Rosenior Confirms Agreement with Chelsea

Liam Rosenior, the head coach of Racing Strasbourg, has announced that he has reached an agreement with Chelsea to become their next manager, although he has yet to sign a contract with the Premier League club. "I have not signed yet. I have verbally agreed with Chelsea. This is very important – this is different from anything anyone has done before. No one has made a statement before signing a contract," Rosenior said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"Everything is agreed and it will probably move forward in the next few hours," he added, speaking from Strasbourg, France. "I am here because I care about this club and felt it was right to physically respond to your questions today before moving on." Rosenior mentioned that he will take his assistants, Kalifa Cisse and Justin Walker, with him to the Premier League club.

At 41 years old, Rosenior, who joined Racing Strasbourg in 2024, stated that his time at the club has been the most rewarding period of his career, following experiences at Derby County and Hull City. "The last 18 months have been a joy and the best of my professional career," he remarked.

Rosenior explained that he has been transparent with the Strasbourg management about external interest. "I have had interest from many clubs, including those in the Champions League, and I have always been open with our president, Marc Keller, and our management," he noted. "I will love this club for the rest of my life, but I cannot refuse Chelsea."

Rosenior, who is still relatively unknown, has been viewed as the leading candidate to replace Enzo Maresca since the Italian was dismissed on Thursday, partly due to the fact that both Strasbourg and Chelsea are owned by the same consortium, BlueCo.

As Rosenior lacks managerial experience in the Premier League, he will become Chelsea's fourth permanent manager since 2022 when BlueCo took control of the London club. Chelsea has yet to confirm the appointment, though discussions with Rosenior were held in London on Monday.