football.london discuss what the impact on Arsenal is as a result of Chelsea appointing Liam Rosenior as head coach
12:00, 05 Jan 2026Updated 12:03, 05 Jan 2026
Liam Rosenior is expected to become the new Chelsea head coach as Arsenal respond to appointment
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Liam Rosenior is expected to become the new Chelsea head coach as Arsenal respond to appointment(Image: Simon Hofmann - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Chelsea are on the verge of appointing what will be Mikel Arteta’s sixth different opposing head coach to stand opposite him since his own start to life at Arsenal in December 2019. Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca have all been in the post and none of whom, besides the now England manager, have been able to record a victory against the Spaniard.
Liam Rosenior is expected to be appointed as he leaves fellow BlueCo-owned Strasbourg. A decision which has sparked plenty of discussion as to whether it is the right choice and if Chelsea are stepping things up or instead taking a step back.
They currently sit 17 points behind the Gunners with no chance of re-entering the Premier League title race. But there does remain some narratives between the sides which sees football.london discuss what will be occurring with Arsenal as a result of this latest managerial switch.
A new League Cup opponent
Arsenal are due to face Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final. As is tradition, no matter how frustrating it might be for the teams and fans, it is a double-legged affair with the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Rosenior will have gotten his feet under the table before the first leg with two games, should he be appointed over the next couple of days. The first away game is against west London rivals Fulham on Wednesday, January 7, and then an FA Cup clash away to another London side, Charlton.
Whether he is able to get much from his side before then remains to be seen, however, for Arsenal, the cup competition might be slightly more important to the Gunners as Chelsea face a fight for Champions League qualification.
Familiar territory
Ultimately, Rosenior might have different methods or styles to Maresca, but Chelsea are bringing in another project head coach rather than the Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or even Tuchel type appointments of the past. Managers with pedigree and legacy.
It will not be an appointment that sends shockwaves through the sport or necessarily concerns many Arsenal supporters or perhaps even the Gunners themselves. While Arteta will predictably be complimentary about the work done and that will be done by Rosenior, he would surely rather be facing a new head coach with less experience instead of Maresca.
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More Chelsea signings?
In terms of transfers, both from an Arsenal and Chelsea perspective, the Blues are not expected to give much control to Rosenior in terms of decision-making at that level. He will be expected to get results with the resources he is given.
However, could Arsenal therefore continue the theme of signing players from Chelsea? It would be a brave person to rule that out with the form the club have and nothing has changed that would rule out that possibility either. The clubs share a good relationship at that level and this appointment sees nothing of note shifting in that regard.