French paper shares bizarre Rosenior to Chelsea claim from sources close to Eghbali
French newspaper L’Equipe have shared an update on Liam Rosenior’s position at Strasbourg as rumours continue to link him with a move to Chelsea.
Rosenior frontrunner after Maresca exit
After guiding Leicester City to the Championship title in 2024, Enzo Maresca was appointed as the new Chelsea manager. In his first season, not only did the Italian guide the Blues to Champions League qualification, but won both the Conference League and Club World Cup.
For the credit he had acquired, Maresca had earned time to turn Chelsea around from their recent blip in form. Following tensions with the board, however, the Stamford Bridge side announced on New Year’s Day that the Italian had departed his post.
Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, have widely been associated with chaos since their arrival in London, be it due to mass influxes of signings or the number of managers they hired in their early tenure. Maresca appeared to have, at least on the pitch, finally brought a sense of calm back to the Blues, with an established first-team and playing philosophy.
In the wake of Maresca’s departure, Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is seemingly the front-runner to replace him.
The Englishman joined Strasbourg, also owned by BlueCo, in 2024, guiding them to a seventh-placed Ligue 1 finish in his first season. Across the current campaign, Rosenior managed Strasbourg to the top of the Conference League table by the league phase’s conclusion.
Will Chelsea bring Rosenior to the Premier League?
Strasbourg are doing well both domestically and on the continent under Rosenior’s guidance. A mid-season departure, then, could well disrupt the club’s momentum.
However, a source close to Behdad Eghbali, part-owner of Chelsea, has reportedly told L’Equipe, as per Sport Witness, that he and BlueCo as a whole “don’t care at all” about how Strasbourg’s season may be impacted were Rosenior to leave for London.
Rosenior, alongside already being a part of the BlueCo multi-ownership model, is viewed as “almost an ideal fit” for the Chelsea job and as a manager who may prove more agreeing with the board than Maresca.
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More than once in the final months of his tenure, the Italian commented on matters away from the pitch and how they were impacting him.
Of course, Rosenior would find himself under pressure at Chelsea, which would be as immediate as it would be intense. Given his reputation as a promising coach and his pre-existing links to BlueCo, it is understandable as to why he has emerged as the front-runner for the job.
Such news, however, will only come as a stinging blow to Strasbourg and the club’s fans, some of whom have previously voiced concerns about seeing their team reduced to a feeder status.
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