Liam Rosenior is set to be appointed as Chelsea’s new manager after confirming he has agreed to a contract on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old will succeed Enzo Maresca following the Italian’s fallout with the Blues hierarchy, which saw him publicly express his dissatisfaction at the club amid a run of just one win in seven Premier League games.
Rosenior was swiftly identified as a candidate to replace Maresca, having thrived at the helm of French club Strasbourg, who also fall under the portfolio of Chelsea owners BlueCo.
He joined the Alsace club ahead of the 2024/25 season and guided them to Conference League qualification in his first campaign in charge.
His time at La Meinau has not come without turbulence, however, with a section of Strasbourg fans vehemently protesting BlueCo’s multi-club ownership model.
Rosenior hit out at the club’s fans when they displayed a banner criticising captain Emanuel Emegha, who will become the latest player to cross the bridge between Strasbourg and Chelsea when he joins the Blues in the summer.
Strasbourg supporters were once again vocal during Rosenior’s final game in charge of the club - a 1-1 draw at Nice - after it had become clear that he was Chelsea-bound, with fans displaying a banner reading “no to multi-ownership”.
Rosenior will return to coach in his homeland for the first time in 18 months, having spent the embryonic years of his managerial career in the Championship.
His most notable stint in England’s second tier came with Hull City. Taking over in November 2022 with the Tigers teetering above the relegation zone, he guided them to safety in his first season before launching a play-off charge in his second.
Rosenior had at his disposal a squad brimming with talented Premier League loanees, including Liam Delap, Fabio Carvalho and Tyler Morton, but was unable to deliver a top-six finish, being eked out on the final day of the 2023/24 season which resulted in his dismissal.
Prior to his role at Hull, Rosenior began his coaching pursuits as a youth coach for Brighton following his retirement.
He then joined Derby County, first as a specialist first team coach to Phillip Cocu before being appointed as Wayne Rooney’s assistant coach in January 2021.
Following Rooney's resignation in June the following year, Rosenior took over as interim manager for the summer before the permanent appointment of Paul Warne in the summer.
Rooney had lavish praise for Rosenior upon learning his former colleague’s imminent move to Chelsea, saying on BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show: "If he goes in there, he won't disappoint. He's been waiting for an opportunity like this.
"If you don't take it now, then you're never going to take it. And I think he's done his apprenticeship, he's done his work to try and get to that job.
"So he'll have no doubts in his mind that he's capable of doing that job. And hopefully, very soon, we hear that he is the manager, because for young English coaches I think it's massive.
"He's taken chances and hopefully that pays off because I think Liam is as good a coach as I've ever worked with. His detail, how he approaches the day-to-day, he's as good as I've worked with."
His career in management follows a fruitful 16-year professional playing career, having turned out for the likes of Fulham, Brighton, Hull and Reading.
The closest he ever came to major silverware while a player came with the Tigers in 2014, when Arsenal came from 2-0 down to beat Hull 3-2 in the FA Cup final.
Rosenior has also appeared on Sky Sports as a pundit and is the son of former Fulham and West Ham striker Leroy Rosenior.
