So this is what Chelsea have become. A club that once hired José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Antonio Conte now turns to a bloke who got the sack at Hull City eight months ago.
Welcome to the BlueCo era, folks.
Liam Rosenior, 41, has verbally agreed to become Chelsea's new head coach. He'll sign a six-and-a-half year deal—yes, you read that right—and take charge in time for Saturday's FA Cup trip to Charlton.
The man himself confirmed it at a bizarre press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday morning. "It looks like I'm going to be the next manager of that football club," he said. "I haven't signed yet. I have agreed verbally with Chelsea."
Nobody has ever done that before. Announced they're leaving before putting pen to paper. Make of that what you will.
From Hull to west London
Let's be clear about something. Rosenior isn't a bad coach. He took Hull to seventh in the Championship, missed the playoffs by a whisker, and was rewarded with a P45. That's football.
At Strasbourg, he's done decent work. Seventh in Ligue 1, Europa Conference League qualification, and a squad built almost entirely on players under 23. His first starting eleven there was the youngest in Ligue 1 history. The lad knows how to develop talent.
But Chelsea? The reigning Club World Cup champions? A squad with Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, and Moises Caicedo?
Gary Neville said it best on Sky Sports: "They inherited Thomas Tuchel, a Champions League-winning manager. It now looks like they're going to inherit Liam Rosenior, who has managed Derby, Hull and Strasbourg. Chelsea Football Club and their supporters are not used to those appointments."
Hard to argue with that.
The real story here
Here's what nobody's saying loud enough: BlueCo wanted someone who wouldn't cause trouble.
Enzo Maresca won them the Club World Cup and the Europa Conference League. He had them sitting fifth in the Premier League. And they binned him because he had the audacity to disagree with the sporting directors.
Rosenior comes from Strasbourg—a club BlueCo also owns. He understands the model. He knows who's really in charge. He won't be doing press conferences where he contradicts the hierarchy.
"I would not have accepted the Chelsea job if I was not ready," Rosenior said Tuesday. "There are clubs you just cannot turn down."
Fair enough. Nobody's blaming the man for taking his shot. But let's not pretend this is about football ambition.
The football bit
Rosenior does have credentials beyond the headlines. Wayne Rooney, who worked with him at Derby, called him "as good a coach as I've ever worked with." When Rosenior managed Hull, Pep Guardiola loaned him Liam Delap. Jürgen Klopp sent Tyler Morton and Fabio Carvalho.
Top managers trusted him with their young players. That counts for something.
His dad Leroy was a striker for Fulham, QPR, and West Ham. Liam grew up around the game, played 141 Premier League matches himself, and earned his UEFA Pro Licence at 32 while still turning out for Brighton. He's football through and through.
But managing Chelsea isn't Hull City with better players. It's a pressure cooker. It's fans who expect trophies every season. It's journalists waiting to pounce on every mistake.
Maresca lasted 18 months. Graham Potter got 31 matches. Frank Lampard didn't even last two full seasons.
Rosenior's got a six-and-a-half year contract. I'll take the under on that one.
What happens next
Chelsea host Fulham tomorrow night—one of Rosenior's old clubs, funny enough—with interim boss Calum McFarlane still in charge. McFarlane did well to nick a 1-1 draw at the Etihad on Sunday, Enzo Fernández equalising in the 94th minute.
"The new manager might be in on Monday," McFarlane said after the match. Turns out it took a bit longer.
Rosenior will bring his backroom staff from Strasbourg: Kalifa Cisse, Justin Walker, and Ben Warner. They'll get to work on a squad that's won one Premier League match since mid-December.
Fifth place. Three points off the Champions League spots. A squad worth hundreds of millions.
No pressure, Liam.
Just don't disagree with the sporting directors.
