Chelsea owners know what to expect by hiring from within, but only results will win doubters over
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6941397/2026/01/05/Chelsea-rosenior-maresca-successor/
It took another Enzo to remind everyone connected to the fortunes of Chelsea that things are not that bleak, no matter who is in the dugout.
Enzo Fernandez’s tap-in from close range to secure a well-deserved, albeit unexpected, point at Manchester City is just the medicine the club required after a very awkward few days.
It was the first game Chelsea had played since parting company with head coach Enzo Maresca on January 1. His likely successor, Liam Rosenior, has arrived in London to officially hold talks over succeeding the Italian, albeit his current employer Strasbourg, who are owned by the same parent company (BlueCo) that call the shots at Stamford Bridge, will need to find a new man themselves before anything is finalised.
The plan is to resolve Strasbourg’s predicament by Tuesday at the very latest, with sources — speaking anonymously to protect relationships — confirming that today (Monday) has been earmarked as a final decision day between three candidates. It means Rosenior’s first Chelsea game could be on Wednesday against his former club Fulham, where he was a player between 2003 and 2007.
Reaction to his impending promotion in the football pyramid has attracted a lot of criticism from Chelsea fans and pundits. For a club associated with hiring leading coaches such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel during the Roman Abramovich era, the choice of Rosenior emphasises how much things have dramatically changed under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium.
Rosenior has never managed in the Premier League and has overseen just over 150 games for Derby County, Hull City and Strasbourg without winning any silverware. His reputation has been growing, but it is hardly a track record normally associated with one of the most pressurised jobs in the sport.
Chelsea have demonstrated on more than one occasion they do not care what the outside world thinks about how things should be done. The Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium has shown that with their extraordinary trading in the transfer market over the past three and a half years and commitment to long contracts despite the scrutiny.
Rosenior’s likely appointment is attracting more pessimistic forecasts. To suggest the reaction from the fanbase is underwhelming is an understatement, too. Protests against the hierarchy in the away end were at a minimum at Etihad Stadium, but Abramovich’s name was sung on several occasions.
Rosenior is in talks to succeed MarescaFrederic Dides/AFP via Getty Images
But Strasbourg’s decision, with the obvious heavy influence of BlueCo, to hire Rosenior was with his development as a coach in mind, in a similar way that young Chelsea-owned players such as Andrey Santos, Mike Penders, Kendry Paez and Mamadou Sarr have worked on their trade during loan spells there. A pathway to Chelsea was always a possibility, albeit this has come a lot sooner than anyone would have thought.
Strasbourg intentionally play the same system as Chelsea, as do the teams in Chelsea’s academy. The logic behind it is understandable as it limits the extent of the adaptation period for a player should they progress to Chelsea’s first team. The same can be said for coaches.
The many questioning the thinking over Rosenior’s expected promotion were given an example of this with Calum McFarlane’s role over the last few days. McFarlane was hired as the club’s under-21s coach last summer but was only formally introduced to the first team squad a few days ago after being told he would be in charge for the Manchester City game following Maresca’s departure. While he knew some of the individuals, McFarlane was already fully up to speed with the style of play because the under-21s are instructed to use the same tactics during fixtures.
Chelsea could not have faced City in much worse circumstances, given they were without four key first-team players in Moises Caicedo (suspended), Marc Cucurella (injury), Robert Sanchez (injury) and Wesley Fofana (illness), plus the obvious potential hangover from the Maresca drama and McFarlane being in charge of his first senior game.
Chelsea fans celebrate after Fernandez’s goalOli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images
McFarlane made a point afterwards of saying how captain Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo and Fernandez had stepped up to help galvanise the group. But McFarlane did not look out of place either, despite his clear inexperience compared to his counterpart Pep Guardiola. This was due to the fundamentals of the team’s playing style being the same as what he is used to at the academy level, just the stakes were a lot higher.
Rosenior will be in the same situation, but permanently, should negotiations progress as expected. This is not to say it will be all straightforward and success is guaranteed, nor that the many doubting supporters will be won over instantly. But the adaptation period will not be as dramatic as if someone alien to the project took over instead.
For months, Chelsea have been vetting candidates and/or coming up with contingency plans for the head coach role in case something happened with Maresca. A succession plan is normal practice for any club because the last thing you want to do is start from scratch when something like the drama of the last week at Stamford Bridge occurs.
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Rosenior’s name was always going to be on it because of the Strasbourg connection. Bonds were going to be formed with the Chelsea hierarchy, given the relationship between the two clubs and how often Chelsea personnel attend Strasbourg games, as well as communicate with him regularly. But he holds a connection with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell (both Brighton) and Laurence Stewart (Hull City) from earlier in his career.
This has to be considered an advantage for Rosenior too because he does not have to spend precious time getting to know people and how they and the club operate. When you have a busy run of midweek-weekend fixtures as Chelsea do over the next five weeks, you need every benefit you can get.
Only good results will win doubters over. It is not going to be easy. But Chelsea’s performance at City under McFarlane underlined how there are talented players at Rosenior’s disposal and the spirit within the group remains strong in adversity.
After all the acrimony comes a reminder that there is something for Maresca’s successor to build on.
By Simon Johnson
Chelsea Correspondent
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