LONDON: Liam Rosenior was confirmed as Premier League club Chelsea's new head coach on Tuesday following the departure of Italian Enzo Maresca last week.
The 41-year-old Englishman has signed a deal until 2032, becoming the fourth full-time head coach appointed since a takeover of the club led by American Todd Boehly in 2022.
"I am extremely humbled and honoured to be appointed head coach of Chelsea Football Club," Rosenior, who leaves his post at French club Racing Strasbourg, said in a club statement.
"This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies."
London-born Rosenior, whose playing career included spells at Fulham, Hull City and Brighton and Hove Albion, took charge of Strasbourg in July 2024 after coaching spells at Derby County, where he was assistant to Wayne Rooney, and Hull in England's second tier.
Former England forward Rooney described Rosenior as "as good a coach as I've ever worked with".
While he is relatively inexperienced as a top-level coach, his reputation was enhanced after leading Strasbourg to European qualification following a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1.
Part of that squad was Chelsea's young Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, who was on loan.
"He's a great coach. I love working with him. All the players are excited by his commitment, his vision," Santos, who scored 10 league goals for Strasbourg last season, said in an interview about Rosenior.
Rosenior became the leading candidate to replace Maresca, thanks in large part to the fact that Strasbourg and Chelsea are part of the same multi-club ownership structure, with the French club taken over by Boehly's consortium BlueCo in 2023.
His immediate task will be to turn around Chelsea's form after a run of only one win in eight Premier League games although he will likely be watching from the stands at Craven Cottage on Wednesday as Chelsea visit London rivals Fulham with under-21s coach Calum McFarlane taking the team.
Rosenior's first game in charge will be Saturday's FA Cup trip away at Charlton Athletic.
Chelsea were third in the standings in November and being tipped as title contenders but have since slipped to fifth and are 17 points behind leaders Arsenal after 20 matches.
Despite qualifying Chelsea for the Champions League and winning the Fifa Club World Cup last year, Maresca's relationship with the club became increasingly acrimonious.
STEADYING THE SHIP
Rosenior will be tasked with steadying the ship and getting the most out of an expensively-assembled squad full of international household names, a contrast to his time at Strasbourg where he worked with an unsung squad.
"My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game we play as we continue winning trophies," he said. "To be entrusted with this role means the world to me and I want to thank all involved for the opportunity and faith in undertaking this job."
Earlier on Tuesday, Rosenior had used a press conference at Strasbourg to announce he had agreed to move to Chelsea, saying his assistants Kalifa Cisse and Justin Walker would join him.
"The last 18 months have been a joy and the best of my professional career," Rosenior said.
"I have had interest from many clubs, including Champions League clubs, which I have always been open with to our president, Marc Keller, and our ownership. I will love this club for the rest of my life but I cannot turn down Chelsea." — Reuters
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