After a positive start to life at Chelsea, things have started to go pear-shaped for Liam Rosenior. They have now lost four Premier League games in a row and are ten points behind the Champions League spots – as such, sections of the Blues’ fanbase have begun to call for his head.
As such, we took a look at five candidates who could take up the Chelsea job if Rosenior is sacked before the end of the season.
Most of our picks currently manage in the Premier League, but we’ve also picked out a couple from La Liga and Serie A. Who would your choice for the next Chelsea manager be?
Oliver Glasner
While this may look like an uninspiring choice on the face of it, one’s mind returns to the first half of the 2025/26 Premier League season. At that point, Oliver Glasner was amongst the most coveted managers in Europe, having led Crystal Palace to FA Cup and Community Shield glory.
Sadly, the Eagles took a nosedive in terms of their form – furthermore, in December, Glasner declared that he would leave Selhurst Park at the end of the campaign. As a result, Chelsea can snap him up without having to pay Palace any sort of compensation.
A defensive, counter-attacking manager, Glasner certainly fits the Chelsea mould – the Blues’ biggest periods of success in the Premier League have generally come under managers who like to play conservative football.
Fabian Hurzeler
Brighton and Chelsea have had a positive working relationship over the past few years. Many of the Blues’ top players used to play for them – so why not go in for their current head coach?
Hurzeler has led a campaign of peaks and valleys with the Seagulls. They’ve picked up some excellent wins, but his game management has sometimes been called into question.
He’s still inexperienced, being just 33 years of age – he is younger than some of his playing staff. Nevertheless, Hurzeler is an exciting young manager with some fresh ideas – if Chelsea are willing to be patient with him, it could bring them a cornucopia of dividends in the future.
Cesc Fabregas
If Hurzeler is inexperienced, then Cesc Fabregas is an absolute novice in the managerial game – that aside, he is enjoying an incredibly positive start to life at Como in Serie A.
Como are fifth in the league table, above giants such as Roma, Atalanta and Lazio. Sure, they’ve had a lot of money to spend – but to achieve such a meteoric rise in a very brief amount of time is certainly worthy of commendation.
He has maintained a solid defensive record at Como, with just 28 goals conceded in 33 league games. There are many questions that still need to be answered about Fabregas’ ability as a head coach, but his appointment would likely be popular within the fanbase – he’s still a highly-regarded figure at Stamford Bridge.
Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola recently announced that he would be leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season. A slew of top clubs are looking to sign him up – Chelsea should definitely be amongst them.
A lover of free-flowing, vibrant football, Iraola wouldn’t be a conventional choice as Blues manager, but he would certainly bring entertainment to Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, he has shown that he has an eye for talent – under his watch, the Cherries made some fantastic transfer signings. Players like Rayan, Alex Scott and Evanilson all made their Bournemouth debuts under the stewardship of the Spaniard.
Diego Simeone
If anyone screams ‘Chelsea manager’ in the world of football today, it’s Diego Simeone. We all know about Simeone’s game by now – he demands a very high work-rate and military-esque organisation oit of his players to make it as difficult as possible for their opponents.
Under Rosenior, Chelsea have been guilty of making games easy for other teams – this will not happen under Simeone’s watch. His raw, unadulterated passion bleeds into his style of play.
The main challenge will come in attempting to prise Simeone away from Atletico Madrid. He’s very fond of the club – furthermore, they value the Argentinian very, very highly.