Rosenior is off to a winning startplaceholder image
Rosenior is off to a winning start | Getty Images
Liam Rosenior will be assessing where his Chelsea squad needs strengthening over the coming weeks.
Chelsea are now being linked with a target they actively pursued in the summer transfer window. The Blues are now in a new era after appointing Liam Rosenior, and that new era started with a bang on Saturday, albeit against lower league opposition.
In the meantime, Rosenior will likely be having conversations with the club’s recruitment staff over the recruitment strategy for both this month and the summer. How much say Rosenior will have in transfers remains to be seen, with Enzo Maresca regularly overrode by those above him when it comes to transfer decisions.
But the new Chelsea boss will surely be able to communicate where he feels he is short and which areas he wants improved, even if the actual personnel decisions are made above him. One area Chelsea have considered strengthening in the not too distant past is the goalkeeper position.
Robert Sanchez is currently the number one, while Filip Jorgensen is the number two, and Chelsea seem to like the look of Mike Penders for the future. Sanchez has really picked up over the last eight or nine months, finishing last season very well, while he has also played well this season.
But it’s no secret that Chelsea pushed to sign Mike Maignan in the summer, with the AC Milan keeper in the final year of his contract. Ultimately, Chelsea were priced out by Milan, who stood firm by their valuation, likely with the confidence of being able to tie Maignan down to a new deal.
So far, though, no new deal has been agreed, and according to Fichajes, Chelsea are still monitoring the situation in case they get the chance to sign Maignan and upgrade their goalkeeping position. Chelsea are already able to offer Maignan a pre-contract agreement ahead of a free transfer this summer.
But these situations are rarely that clear, with clubs realistically needing the go-ahead from the player’s representatives that said player is receptive to offers before making their move.
Maignan is a 30-year-old France international. He has been with AC Milan since his 2021 move from Lille, and this season, he has managed eight clean sheets in 17 Serie A appearances.
Rosenior seems satisfied
The report claims Rosenior has identified the goalkeeper position as one he wants to strengthen in the summer, but the new Chelsea boss has had a very different take with his public comments.
He said: "I'm very fortunate, in terms of the goalkeepers, that both [Filip] Jorgensen and [Rob] Sanchez are world-class goalkeepers with their feet, which absolutely suits the way I want to play.‘
“But I'm not going to come in here on the first day and they can say to Rob to play from the halfway line, or for Filip to play from the halfway. It takes time; it's a process. I feel very confident I can bring the best out of my group, in different areas, in different aspects, and playing in one way with one team is different to playing another way with another. I can be adaptable but it's about my players and their strengths."
While those comments seem to be sincere - and they very well may be - it’s also worth noting that managers and head coaches are always going to back their current players until new signings are made, and it’s important for Rosenior to get everyone pulling in the same direction during his opening weeks in charge.
Continue Reading