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Liam Rosenior confirms Chelsea move to replace Enzo Maresca as manager
Jan 06 2026 09:17 · By onefootball.com · 43 Reads
Liam Rosenior has confirmed he is poised to take over at Chelsea as head coach and leave his position at Strasbourg .
Speaking at his latest press conference with the Ligue 1 club, the 37-year-old confirmed: "I was given permission to speak to one of the biggest sporting clubs in the world.
The former Hull and Derby boss added: "It looks like I am going to be the next manager of that football club [Chelsea]."
He added that Chelsea was “an opportunity I cannot turn down.”
Rosenior underlines that he has "not signed yet,” but he has now "verbally agreed" a contract to take over at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca surprisingly left the Club World Cup champions on New Year’s Day, with Chelsea 15 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Italian, who is now a candidate to replace Ruben Amorim at Manchester United after his sacking, revealed his dissatisfaction with his situation publicly, with a cryptic comment about his “worst 48 hours” at the club after the 2-0 win over Everton on 13 December.
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Former Hull manager Liam Rosenior has built an impressive coaching reputation in France (PA Archive)
And now Chelsea have looked within the BlueCo structure after Rosenior’s impressive run with the French club, guiding them to seventh in Ligue 1 and top spot in the Conference League after an unbeaten run.
"The last 18 months have been a joy and the best of my professional career,” Rosenior added. “I have met some incredible people and created some incredible memories and made history.
"None of that happens without the investment of our ownership and hard work of our president. I have had interest from many clubs, including Champions League clubs, which I have always been open with to [our president] Marc [Keller] and our ownership.
"I will love this club for the rest of my life but I cannot turn down Chelsea .”
Assistants Kalifa Cisse and Justin Walker will follow Rosenior to Chelsea , while Ben Warner, head of analysis, is also set to link up with the new coaching team at Cobham.