Chelsea have officially appointed Liam Rosenior to replace Enzo Maresca as their head coach.
The former Hull City man, who was recruited by the Blues from fellow BlueCo side Strasbourg, has put pen to paper on a deal that will see him in the dugout at Stamford Bridge until 2032.
With all the paperwork filed, when will Chelsea fans catch the first glimpse of the Rosenior era?
Liam Rosenior’s first game in charge of Chelsea confirmed
Amid all the moving parts in the Stamford Bridge dugout, they do have the small matter of a Premier League assignment down the road at Fulham to contend with on Wednesday evening, just hours after Rosenior – who turned out 92 times for the Cottagers as a player – was officially announced.
It’s a crucial game for the Blues, who currently sit in fifth place in the league, level on points with Manchester United below them.
Ready to get started. 👊January 7, 2026
However, the game comes too soon for Rosenior’s managerial debut at the club.
Calum McFarlane, who led Chelsea to a 1-1 away draw against Manchester City, having taken the team in the interim, confirmed he will remain in charge for the Craven Cottage visit.
Therefore, Rosenior’s first taste of Chelsea action will be their FA Cup Third Round tie against Championship outfit Charlton Athletic.
The 41-year-old will, however, be in the stands in west London, watching the side he’ll be managing for the first time this weekend.
Asked what fans can expect from Rosenior, interim boss McFarlane said: “Aggressive, front-foot football, really good on the ball, good positional-play concepts. Really excited to see the work he’s going to do at this club.”
Although all the agreements are now in place, in FourFourTwo’s opinion, not rushing Rosenior in for this game is the right call.
McFarlane has now been preparing the team for a week, so it makes sense for him to organise the team for this 7.30pm kick-off, rather than the former Strasbourg man parachuting in to effectively just pick the starting XI.
This scheduling should allow Rosenior at least one training session with his new group of players, before what he’ll hope will be a routine meeting with Charlton at the weekend to ease himself in.
Knowing the new boss is in the stands, however, will surely provide added motivation for those Blues on the pitch, in what will likely be their first opportunity to impress.
