Chelsea
Liam Rosenior: the coaching profile Chelsea’s owners favour
Former Hull and Strasbourg coach known for empathy, pressing style and player development at Chelsea
Liam Rosenior arrives at a point in his career shaped by long preparation and a clear coaching identity. From doing scouting reports for his father Leroy at Gloucester City as an 11-year-old, to taking his Uefa Pro Licence aged 32 while still a player at Brighton & Hove Albion, Rosenior has methodically built the experience he now brings to Chelsea.
His pathway included spells learning from Chris Coleman, Steve Coppell, Brendan Rodgers, Steve Bruce and Chris Hughton. He worked at Brighton as an assistant with the Under-23s and later as a specialist first-team coach, then moved to Derby County with Phillip Cocu before working with Wayne Rooney. One early lesson came when Rooney noticed a player distracted at breakfast and handled it quietly; Rosenior absorbed that approach to managing people.
“Top coaches have to have empathy,” Rosenior told me once. “Yes, you can be tough, but you have to understand people. You can’t shout at players like you used to.” That outlook informed his time as a pundit on Sky Sports programmes, notably The Debate, and underpinned the culture he created at Hull City after his appointment in 2022.
Rosenior encouraged a collective spirit. He showed players a video of his assistant Justin Walker towing his car from a flooded puddle to make a point. “Life isn’t perfect but your mate needs to have your back,” Rosenior told his players. “The first person I called was my best friend Justin.” He also admires the attacking risk-taking of Roberto De Zerbi and learned from Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta at Brighton.
Hull’s work under Rosenior won loans from Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, including Liam Delap, Tyler Morton and Fabio Carvalho. Delap’s goal at the King Power ended Leicester’s perfect start in September 2023, and Rosenior reflected on progress: “I’ve been here for eight months and we wouldn’t have been capable of doing that when I first came in,” Rosenior told BBC Radio Humberside afterwards. “That’s why I keep saying it’s a process.”
Players have responded to his demands and his stance against discrimination. “Give 100 per cent in and out of possession, love and respect your team-mates, and don’t hide from the ball. You have to be brave.” He was sacked by Hull after narrowly missing the play-offs, then appointed Strasbourg head coach, qualifying them for the Uefa Conference League. BlueCo now view him as the man to succeed Maresca at Chelsea. Rosenior remains candid about his approach: “I’m a giver,” Rosenior told me in 2022. “I like seeing people achieve. I like helping them.”
Chelsea
Rosenior Rejects Puppet Tag and Promises Decision-Making Power at Chelsea
Rosenior insisted he will make the decisions at Chelsea, rejecting the idea he is a puppet. Clearly.
Liam Rosenior used his first Chelsea press conference to draw a clear line under suggestions he will defer to ownership. Having spent the previous 18 months coaching Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg, where a similar structure is in place, Rosenior was at pains to say he will not be a figurehead.
Maresca’s frustrations with the club’s influential sporting directors and gaggle of co-owners reportedly stemmed from a constant need to defend himself and a sense that his recruitment calls were ignored. The former Leicester City boss saw requests for another centre back last summer and appeals for more senior players around the turn of the year fall on deaf ears.
Rosenior, 41, who had spells at Derby County, Hull City and Strasbourg and is a former Brighton fullback, was explicit: “I don’t think it’s possible to ever be in this job and not be your own man,” Rosenior declared at his first Chelsea press conference, which he prefaced by shaking the hand of every media representative present. “People will see through you straight away.
“I will make the decisions at this club, that’s why I’ve been brought in.
“I understand, I’m not an alien, I know what’s being said in the press but there’s no way you can be successful as a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.”
He refused to adopt the more high-profile profile associated with recent predecessors but projected calm confidence. “I’m not arrogant, I’m good at what I do,” he shrugged.
Rosenior stressed his record: “In every job I’ve worked, whether as an interim, assistant, head coach, relative to the group I’ve worked with, I’ve been successful. I’ve always wanted to be at a club like this but it’s not about just being here, it’s about being successful.
“Nobody can guarantee wins but at the same time I’ve worked very hard for a long time to try and put myself in a position where I can be successful.”
Rosenior watched on as Chelsea lost 2–1 at Fulham, extending a five-match winless run that leaves the club eighth and 18 points behind league leaders Arsenal. He remained measured: “Hopefully, I can add my own ideas, sometimes a different voice helps, but the players haven’t been far away.” He called prioritising competitions “crazy” and highlighted positives around training and player quality.
Chelsea
How Liam Rosenior’s Arrival Reshapes Roles at Chelsea
Rosenior’s Chelsea arrival will reshuffle roles: Delap, Estêvão, Santos and Penders stand to gain in.
Chelsea have appointed Liam Rosenior to replace the frustrated Enzo Maresca. Rosenior arrives with a reputation for high-intensity, energy-first football and a preference for a 3-4-2-1 shape he employed at Strasbourg. Early flexibility will be important as he adapts that system to a large, unsettled squad.
One immediate tactical implication is for Estêvão. Though the 18-year-old has often been used on the right wing since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea reportedly view him as an attacking midfielder long term. Under Maresca he was more often an impact substitute than a regular starter. Rosenior’s fluid 3-4-2-1 could increase Estêvão’s minutes in a second attacking midfield role alongside Cole Palmer, though he would likely need to share time with João Pedro and Enzo Fernández.
The No. 9 position may also be open. João Pedro has operated there this term but is not an out-and-out centre forward and could be better suited to an attacking midfield role. Rosenior knows Liam Delap well: he signed Delap at Hull and the striker thrived on loan from Manchester City, scoring eight goals and adding two assists in the Championship at the MKM Stadium. Delap has the physical traits of a traditional striker and did his chances no harm by scoring against Fulham with Rosenior in the stands watching.
Andrey Santos is another player with an existing Rosenior connection. The Brazilian played 34 games for Rosenior in 2024–25, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists. Santos has started just five Premier League games this term and one in Europe, but a congested schedule could give Rosenior reason to use him more often.
Goalkeeping is a further area for review. Robert Sánchez has improved but remains unconvincing, while Filip Jörgensen has not inspired. Mike Penders, on loan at Strasbourg from Chelsea, has been the French side’s starting keeper under Rosenior this season and impressed in his first campaign in a top-five league. Rosenior has seen Penders’ development first hand and may offer him an opportunity next season.
Reece James appears safe in the XI but could be shifted to wing back, a demanding role that risks aggravating his injury history. The Rosenior system does not favour natural wingers, so wide players who prefer hugging the touchline, such as Alejandro Garnacho, or those lacking defensive discipline face a difficult path. Jamie Gittens has struggled to find the polish and technical edge to displace established wide options.
Chelsea
Foreign Stalwarts: Non-English Players Who Became Premier League Mainstays
Non-English players became Premier League mainstays through longevity consistency and contributions.
Since 1992 the Premier League has been defined by English talent and by players from abroad and neighboring nations who provided steadiness season after season. Some of the competition’s most trusted appearance makers are not English, with many racking up matches after arriving from overseas or from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Schwarzer arrived as a dependable presence and proved something of a lucky charm in the top flight. The former Bradford City man played his part in Boro and the Cottagers reaching UEFA Cup/Europa League finals, and he even ‘won’ the Premier League twice—with Chelsea and Leicester—despite not making a single league appearance in either title-winning campaign.
Sylvain Distin was a Premier League stalwart for years, retiring in 2016 at the age of 38. His first venture in England was a season-long loan with Newcastle United that led to a permanent move to Manchester City. He went on to captain the future Premier League champions prior to their big-money investment, then enjoyed a two-year spell at Portsmouth that yielded FA Cup success. Everton benefited from Distin’s prime extending into his 30s and he made almost as many appearances for the Toffees as he did for City—174 in six seasons.
Ryan Giggs’s record of 13 Premier League title wins with Manchester United will probably never be bettered. The Welshman was already an established United player when the Premier League kicked off in 1992–93, and he was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson as the club rose to the top of the country. Later in his career Giggs converted into a central midfielder and produced some of his best football. Winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the 2008–09 season at age 35 was followed by another two Premier League titles prior to his retirement in 2014.
Forget Arjen Robben, Damien Duff was the real star winger in José Mourinho’s early Chelsea sides, yet he’s often underrated and not given the credit he deserves. A pacy, consistent performer, Duff rose to prominence at Blackburn Rovers as a natural left winger, terrifying right backs with his running and superb delivery. Goals followed and Chelsea came calling after the Roman Abramovich-led takeover in 2003. Duff was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League two seasons in a row before being phased out. Newcastle United were the next stop in his 18-year top-flight career, followed by Fulham and then a move Down Under.
