There seems to be a clear frontrunner for the Chelsea job after Enzo Maresca's dramatic exit
Thomas Fair Community Editor and football.london readers
12:13, 05 Jan 2026
Strasbourg Head Coach Liam Rosenior thanks supporters following their Ligue 1 match against Le Havre
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Strasbourg Head Coach Liam Rosenior has been linked with the vacant Chelsea job(Image: Photo by Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior is the clear frontrunner to succeed Enzo Maresca as Chelsea manager, with discussions ongoing in London - but some fans in the football.london comments sections don't seem to be too impressed by the stature of their top target for the big job.
Maresca stepped down from his role after 18 months in the post, after tensions with the club hierarchy were laid bare with his infamous "worst 48 hours" comment in mid-December. Things came to a head after telling the ownership that he had discussed taking on the head coach role at Manchester City when Pep Guardiola leaves.
Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is expected to be appointed as the new head coach, as the January transfer window starts to warm up. Strasbourg belong to the same BlueCo multi-club group as Chelsea, and both the club and the candidate will be familiar with each other and their shared expectations.
Like Maresca before him, Rosenior doesn't come with the same level of prestige that Chelsea preferred in their managers under their previous ownership. He cut his teeth with Hull City in the Championship, narrowly missing out on the play-offs in 2024 in an impressive display for his last season, before taking Strasbourg to the UEFA Conference League.
Some fans would prefer that Chelsea appoint someone with more experience and reputation. In our Facebook comments, reader Michael P Yore says: "They need a top manager with a track record if they want to challenge for the top. Giving Rosenior the job would be taking a massive chance, and seems most unlikely to succeed."
Commenter Dudley Samuels writes: "Schoolboy error, making him manager - he needs more time where he is. Look what division he managed in when he was in the UK."
Aden Chow says: "We really don't need this guy, he isn't of the standard to coach Chelsea, he just an average manager. I would rather the owners bring De Zerbi to Chelsea, he is better than Rosenior..."
Mark Dean writes: "He is not the best manager available, just the easy option as he already works for BlueCo."
Katy Marie Grumbridge suggests a different option: "Bring Lampard back, he’s Chelsea through and through, he always has been."
Leif Bailey disagrees: "He's a club legend for Chelsea but he is not a coach we should appoint. He had his chance, albeit he should never have come to us so early on in his coaching career. He’s doing great at Coventry."
Some think that Rosenior can succeed at Chelsea. Tonay56 says: "Every coach or manager have their achilles heel. What you would hope is that it is not severe enough to derail them.
"It seems to me based on the short track record of the Chelsea owners with regards to coaches, and established and accomplished coach cannot succeed under this current Chelsea leadership. However, a young coach that is able to adapt can succeed under the new Chelsea model. This Liam Rosenior might be a better fit, especially with his ability to develop young players and apparently his rapport with players."
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Mervyn Carr writes: "Why is everyone always negative? We've had so-called more experienced coaches/managers who've failed!"
Using the comments section below, tell us what Liam Rosenior should do in his first week as the Chelsea manager if he is appointed.