Liam Rosenior emerges as favourite to replace Maresca at Chelsea after Strasbourg run

Liam Rosenior is the leading contender to be Chelsea's next manager after impressing with Strasbourg, the club owned by the same BlueCo group as Chelsea. The 41-year-old, sacked by Championship side Hull City 18 months ago, would succeed Enzo Maresca, who left after falling out with the club hierarchy despite winning the Club World Cup in the summer.

BBC pundit Pat Nevin warned the appointment could favour a manager who is "young and easy to manipulate," saying Chelsea want someone who will "do what they tell them to do." Rosenior told local media he is focusing on Strasbourg's next match and that "there's a lot of noise, a lot of speculation, but as a coach, if you get involved, you fail." He acknowledged there have been discussions with Chelsea because the clubs are part of the same group, but said he "can't guarantee anything" about how long he will stay.

At Strasbourg Rosenior has relied on a very young squad. The club became the first in Europe's top five leagues to field a team made up entirely of players born in the 2000s in a Ligue 1 game, and their side has an unusually low average age. Ben Chilwell, who moved from Chelsea to Strasbourg, praised Rosenior, saying the manager is "very good at managing a young dressing room" and wants to compete for trophies and European qualification.

Strasbourg finished seventh in Ligue 1 last season and sit seventh again after 16 games this campaign.

Key Topics

Sports, United States, Chelsea, Liam Rosenior, Strasbourg, Blueco, Managerial Change