Appointed only in January, Liam Rosenior is already no longer Chelsea's manager. The club sacked their head coach just hours after a heavy Premier League defeat at Brighton and are now searching for his replacement.
After just 23 matches in charge, Rosenior was shown the door following the Blues' 3-0 loss at Brighton, a result that compounded the misery of a deeply disappointing window. The former Strasbourg manager had been brought in last January to replace Enzo Maresca.
Having been knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by PSG and now fighting for their top-five survival, Chelsea have appointed Calum McFarlane as interim manager until the end of the season, but are already moving quickly to identify a permanent appointment ahead of 2026-27. With an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United also on the horizon, here are five profiles linked with the role.
© Imago / IMAGO / Sportimage
Andoni Iraola
After more than 120 matches in charge at Bournemouth, the Spaniard will leave the Cherries when his contract expires this summer. According to RMC Sport, Iraola has already been contacted by Chelsea. The 43-year-old led Bournemouth to ninth place in 2024-25 with a modest squad.
Filipe Luis
Out of work since his Flamengo sacking in March following a successful spell that included a Copa Libertadores triumph, Filipe Luis knows Chelsea well. The former left-back made 26 appearances for the club during the 2014-15 season before returning to Atletico Madrid. According to UOL Esporte, the 40-year-old Brazilian has already opened discussions with Chelsea's owner BlueCo.
Cesc Fabregas
Under contract with Como until June 2028, the former Chelsea midfielder — 198 appearances between 2014 and 2019 — is among the options being considered according to Football Insider. A two-time Premier League winner with the Blues, Fabregas is currently leading the Lombardy club to a remarkable fifth-place finish in Serie A.
Oliver Glasner
The Austrian has been in charge at Crystal Palace since February 2024 and will leave his post at the end of this season. The Sun have mentioned Glasner, 51, as a candidate. The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss is well regarded for his Premier League experience.
Roberto De Zerbi
Having joined Tottenham after leaving Olympique de Marseille, the Italian is currently battling to save Spurs from an historic relegation to the Championship. Should they go down, a move to Chelsea would offer De Zerbi an immediate route back into the top flight — provided he can extricate himself from the lengthy contract he signed with the Spurs (running until 2031).