Now that Chelsea have appointed a replacement for Enzo Maresca, we take a look at his relatively little-known successor.
Who exactly is Liam Rosenior and, more importantly, which Chelsea players could transform into desirable Fantasy Premier League (FPL) signings?
CAREER SO FAR
After tying up his boots at Brighton in 2018, Rosenior took up a coaching role in the academy before joining Derby County as a specialist first-team coach under Phillip Cocu.
He was promoted to assistant under Wayne Rooney in 2021 and briefly took charge of the Rams following Rooney’s departure the following year, but was given his first permanent managerial job at Hull in November 2022.
He kept the Tigers in the Championship in his first season, when they finished 15th, and oversaw a huge improvement in the following campaign, narrowly missing the play-offs with a seventh-place finish. Despite transforming the club’s fortunes, he was controversially sacked at the end of the season.
Strasbourg came calling in July 2024, a year after Blue Co, Chelsea’s owners, bought a majority stake in the Ligue 1 club. It is believed that the emerging manager was earmarked as a potential Chelsea coach of the future, although few could have predicted how rapid his ascension to the big chair at Stamford Bridge would be.
Rosenior led Strasbourg to qualification for the Conference League in his first season. After guiding them to seventh place in the French top flight, he was rewarded with a new three-year contract in April.
He leaves Alsace in seventh place in Ligue I, having also guided them to top spot in the 36-team Conference League group.
ROSENIOR’S APPOINTMENT
“I’m so excited for the future. I’ve worked all my life to become a coach and now to have this opportunity at a world-class football club. [club] is something I have always dreamed of.”
“I hope the fans here can understand that. I’m looking forward to the challenge. If I thought I wasn’t ready for it, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”
“The reality is that Strasbourg is not at the level of Chelsea. There are certain clubs that you just can’t dismiss. I hope the fans can see that.” – Liam Rosenior on joining Chelse
Although Rosenior is inexperienced at the top level, Chelsea is not a club known for their patience with managers. The minimum demand from their new head coach is that the London club, currently in fifth place, qualify for the Champions League
“Liam has shown that he can build teams with a clear way of playing while setting the highest standards for players on and off the pitch.”
“Although attention will continue to be paid to player development, the club’s expectations and ambitions remain high.” – Chelsea’s statement on the appointment of Liam Rosenior
ACCURATE THINKER
Rosenior always had his sights set on becoming a football manager. He was an avid student of the game and devoured Pep Guardiola’s books when he was a player at Hull City.
‘I remember when we were in Hull he read Pep’s books when we were still in our late twenties.
“He started studying the game more and understanding why certain tactics work and why other tactics don’t. He’s just a very meticulous person.” – Former Hull and Derby defender Curtis Davies on Liam Rosenior
At Derby, Rooney was the figurehead, but many consider it was Rosenior who was the brains behind the operation.
“What he had in the background was a Liam Rosenior who was meticulous in detail. Wayne may want you to do a certain pass and do it a certain way, but the other 90 percent of the analysis of why we do this pass, why it goes into that space, that was all Liam.
“He was literally down to the smallest detail. Maybe the reason why it didn’t work out so well for Wayne is because he was spoiled by having Liam in his first job. Wayne had a lot of coaching staff, but none as meticulous as Liam.” – Former Hull and Derby defender Curtis Davies on Liam Rosenior
PREFERRED TACTICS
Above: How Strasbourg lined up in Liam Rosenior’s last match, via BBC Sports
Once Rosenior took over at Hull, he had his players play in a 4-2-3-1 system, but they too had to adapt as he worked out which system suited his group best. He alternated between a 4-2-3-1, a 3-4-1-2, a 4-4-3, a 5-3-2 and a 4-3-3.
He ultimately settled on a preferred 4-2-3-1, while also adopting a bold 4-4-2 in his second season at Hull. In the second half of that season, his side lost only twice when he used the 4-4-2 (against Birmingham in the FA Cup and champions-elect Leeds United). And perhaps it was his decision to revert to his familiar 4-2-3-1 in the final two games of the season (a draw and a defeat) that cost him a play-off place and his job.
If there was any criticism of him from Hull fans it was his emphasis on playing in the same style regardless of the outcomes. But it would be unfair to label him as a dogma evangelist along the lines of Reuben Amorim.
In Strasbourg he assessed the players at his disposal and decided in his first year in France that a 3-4-3 was the best approach, but he occasionally switched to a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2 depending on the demands of each match.
THE FIGURES
| 2025/26 | Rank | 2024/25 | Rank | |
| Goals scored per 90 | 1.53 | 7 | 1.65 | 6 |
| xG per 90 | 1.30 | 13 | 1.19 | 12 |
| Shots on target/90 | 4.2 | 7 | 4.3 | 12 |
| Great opportunities | 50 | 6 | 99 | 7 |
| Goals against/90 | 1.24 | 6 | 1.29 | 12 |
| xGC per 90 | 1.26 | 4 | 1.47 | 13 |
| Clean sheets | 7 | 3 | 10 | 5 |
Statistics courtesy of FootyStats and Fotmob
This season he has shown that he is capable of coaxing goals from his attackers. Signing summer Joaquin Panichelli has been Strasbourg’s star of the season so far, with ten goals in seventeen appearances to finish second in the Ligue I goalscorers’ chart.
The collective xG is a bit of a concern, with Rosenior’s troops ranking 13th and 12th for xG over the past two seasons.
But it is defensively where Rosenior’s side have improved the most this season, with seven clean sheets in seventeen games (Strasbourg managed just ten in the entire 2023/24 campaign). That number of shutouts is bettered by only two teams in Ligue 1.
The number of goals conceded per 90 minutes and the expected number of goals conceded (xGC) per 90 minutes are also showing an upward trend this season. Strasbourg ranks sixth and fourth respectively in these categories, up from twelvee and 13e in 2023/24.
PLAYING STYLE
Whichever system Rosenior chooses, his philosophy remains the same. He likes his teams to build from the back, using the goalkeeper, centre-backs and a number 6 to play through the press.
He is a disciple of Guardiola, like his predecessor, but although there are similarities with Maresca in terms of possession, he urges his players to persevere and attack once they have reached the goal to create space.
Maresca’s Chelsea was ponderous and more deliberate in his attempts to gradually move up the pitch before attempting to break up the low block. Like Leicester fans before them, Chelsea supporters were not overly enamored with what they saw.
Under Rosenior, therefore, there seems to be more reason for optimism about the prospect of a more exciting brand of football being played – although the mediocre xG figures above are worth bearing in mind.
“I want us to play high-tempo, aggressive football at the forefront. I want the fans at home to be out of their seats in the first ten minutes and feel like it’s wave after wave, because when I played against the likes of (Michael) Essien, (Frank) Lampard, (Didier) Drogba, Arjen Robben and Joe Cole, you felt when you turned up at Stamford Bridge that it was going to be a very difficult day.”
“I want to create that feeling here. I want us to be intense, I want us to be brave and fearless, and if we do all these things we can have a really good time together.” – Leroy Rosenior after his appointment
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Rosenior is not afraid to give young players a chance. He did this at Hull with Henry Vaughan, a teenager from Oldham, and Ozan Tufan, an erratic Turkish international, who had flattered to deceive before Rosenior got him.
He also worked wonders in Strasbourg by transforming former out-of-favour Brighton left-back Valentin Barco into an effective central midfielder, who currently sits sixth in the assists charts. Chelsea signing Diego Moreira has developed into an impressive left-back, while Guela Doué is now expected to reach greater heights, just as his brother Desiré did at PSG.
Strasbourg even has the youngest team in all the top five competitions this season.
This could bode well for people like Jamie Gittens (£6.0 million) and Tyrique George (£4.8m), who have struggled for minutes so far, but may now get the chance to realize their potential under the new man in charge.
And there’s another young person who might just thrive…
PATHS CROSS AGAIN WITH ROSENIOR
Andrei Santos (£4.5m) played a crucial role under Rosenior in Strasbourg and will be hoping for more opportunities than he got under Maresca.
“Obviously I had Andrey Santos last year [at Strasbourg]; he has two beautiful children that he has brought into the world and he has performed excellently at Manchester City. But what I want to do is get to know them all very quickly, because I think if you get to know people you can improve them, and if they improve individually, you improve the collective and win competitions. – Liam Rosenior
Liam Delap (£6.2 million) and Robert Sanchez (£4.9m) have also crossed paths with their new boss.
“I worked with Liam Delap [at Hull City] and had a great time with him. It’s great to see him at this club and to be able to work with him again. I’ve known Rob Sanchez since he was 16 years old at Brighton [when he was] get through. So I know Rob very well.” – Liam Rosenior
GOAL GAME WEEK 24
For starters, the best advice is to take a look sheet, and that’s exactly what Rosenior will be doing during Chelsea’s trip to face his former side on Wednesday. He will be in the stands to observe how the Blues fare at Craven Cottage before taking charge of Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup on Saturday.
That match may come too early to draw immediate conclusions, especially as the squad for that match will likely change. However, Rosenior will know he can get the fans on side with victory against Arsenal in the League Cup and by the time Chelsea meet West Ham in Gameweek 24, we should have a good idea of which players look promising in the new regime.
The Blues will play consecutive home games against Arsenal (League Cup), Brentford (Premier League) and Pafos (Champions League), before visiting Crystal Palace (Premier League) and Napoli (Champions League).
These five matches should give FPL managers a good indication of which assets are firing under Roseniorball and who to target for what is a very friendly run of matches for the new man in charge.
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