Chelsea confirmed that little-known Liam Rosenior will be their new head coach on a six-and-a-half-year deal, replacing Enzo Maresca.
The 41-year-old Englishman told a press conference earlier in the day at French Ligue 1 club Strasbourg he had “verbally agreed” on the move to Stamford Bridge.
The English Premier League club announced Rosenior had signed a deal until 2032.
Rosenior said it was “an opportunity I cannot turn down.”
Rosenior has just three years’ experience as a manager, with Hull City and Strasbourg, and has never coached in the English Premier League. But he had been widely touted as the frontrunner to succeed Maresca since the Italian left Chelsea last week.
Strasbourg are part of the BlueCo multi-club ownership group that also controls Chelsea.
Rosenior is Chelsea’s fourth permanent managerial appointment since BlueCo took control of the club previously owned by Roman Abramovich in 2022. He said he had wanted to announce the news himself in Strasbourg because of his deep feelings for the French club.
"I’m so excited about the future. I cannot lie. My whole life I’ve worked to be a coach,” said Rosenior, whose father Leroy was also a player and then a manager.
"To be presented with this opportunity to manage a world-class football club is something I’ve always dreamed of. With that is a mixed emotion of sadness of what I’m leaving behind.”
Rosenior played in the Premier League and the second-tier Championship in England.
He had a variety of coaching roles at Derby, which included 12 matches as caretaker manager at the start of the 2022/23 season.
Later that year Rosenior took over as manager of Championship team Hull. He was sacked after 18 months and in July 2024 was appointed by Strasbourg, whom he guided to seventh place in Ligue 1 last season.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
