Liam Rosenior has been sacked by Chelsea following a run of five consecutive Premier League defeats, with Gary Neville accusing Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez of 'stitching up' the manager, and Calum McFarlane set to take over as interim
Connor O'Neill Senior Sports Content Creator and James Smailes Head of All Out Rugby League and Yorkshire sport at Reach plc
10:00, 23 Apr 2026
Gary Neville has taken aim at Chelsea's owners
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Gary Neville has taken aim at Chelsea's owners
Gary Neville has accused Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez of 'stitching up' Liam Rosenior and told Chelsea's owners, BlueCo, that they don't know what they are doing. Rosenior has been dismissed by Chelsea following a run of five successive Premier League defeats in which the side failed to find the net.
Rosenior signed a five-and-a-half-year deal after arriving from French club Strasbourg, also run by Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. However, he managed just 11 wins in 23 matches across all competitions and Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at Brighton proved to be the final straw for the club's hierarchy.
Calum McFarlane will step in as interim manager until the end of the season, but Neville believes Cucurella and Fernandez did little to help matters when both recently spoke warmly of the man Rosenior replaced, Enzo Maresca. Speaking on Sky Sports News, Neville said: "The results have not been good enough. When the results aren't good enough, a manager gets sacked. "But come on, Cucurella and Fernandez - experienced players and probably the only two experienced players that Chelsea have got - stitched him up in the last few weeks by calling out the fact that they basically love Maresca, but they weren't doing that well under him.
"I think Maresca is a fine coach as well, but this policy at Chelsea and this plan – I don't see it. These six- and eight-year agreements, you see it is almost laughable from the start, whether it be for a manager or a player.
"The owners don't have a clue what they are doing. I've made massive mistakes as an owner, but sometimes you've got to accept that. I've spoken publicly about the challenges we've had."
"But they're all over the place. I just don't get it, really. You deserve what you get in football and it's a reflection on them; it's not a reflection on a coach who, to be fair, probably shouldn't have been advanced as soon as he was into the role."
"He should have been left to develop his career as a promising young coach. You don't turn down the Chelsea job. I can see why it was appealing, but the reality is he just has to get on with his coaching career now and put it behind him as quickly as he can because it is a club at this moment in time that is a little bit crazy in its decision-making."
Neville added: "I'm not shocked Liam's leaving the club. I'm shocked he's leaving today. I thought it would probably happen at the end of the season."
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"I thought they would persevere until the end of the season after giving him a six-year deal. It's not a reflection on Liam at all. He's lost a lot of football matches in the last few weeks and he'll be disappointed with that."
"But it's time for the owners, sporting directors and players to reflect enormously on their role in what's happened in the last few weeks. Their fans will be absolutely disgusted by the way this has gone."The results have not been good enough. When the results aren't good enough, a manager gets sacked. "The owners have got it really badly wrong. I said at the time, they've got a group of talented players, young sporting directors in respect of the experience relating to Europe, you've got an ownership that's young in respect that it's only two or three years in. You need some experience somewhere in the club."
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