Strasbourg coach Rosenior prepared for a press conference amid links with Chelsea

Liam Rosenior will hold a press conference at his French club Strasbourg on Tuesday, the Ligue 1 side announced, despite being in negotiations to become Chelsea’s next manager.

Rosenior, 41, traveled to London for a meeting with Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, with Chelsea looking to install a successor as quickly as possible for Enzo Maresca, who left the London club on Thursday.

The former Hull manager is the leading candidate to become Chelsea’s fourth permanent boss since owner BlueCo, which also controls Strasbourg, took control of the Premier League in 2022.

Rosenior returns to the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg on Tuesday at 0830 GMT with an announcement expected at a press conference.

A club source said Strasbourg are already “working behind the scenes to find his replacement… as soon as possible”.

Meanwhile, Monday’s training was overseen by Rosenior’s assistants Jean-Marc Kuentz and Filipe Coelho.

Rosenior, who guided Strasbourg to a seventh-place finish last season, was strongly tipped to take over at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea parted ways with Italian coach Maresca on New Year’s Day.

Chelsea were unhappy with reports that Maresca had spoken to Manchester City about the possible succession of Pep Guardiola at the end of the season, amid suggestions that he had tried to use a potential transfer as a bargaining chip in negotiations over an extended contract.

There was also disagreement over the extent to which Maresca was authorized to ignore the advice of the medical staff when players were reintegrated into the team after injury.

However, Rosenior is expected to work under similar circumstances, with matters such as player recruitment largely the responsibility of the club’s five-strong team of sporting directors.

READ ALSO: Rooney says Rosenior has earned the chance to manage Chelsea

Chelsea – fifth in the Premier League and three points off the Champions League places – have assembled a large squad of young players with limited top-level experience, with Maresca seemingly dissatisfied with the amount of squad rotation his side have undergone.

Rosenior has enjoyed some success in Strasbourg with an equally young team, leading the team to the knockout rounds of the Europa Conference League.

The club is currently seventh in Ligue 1.

Published on January 6, 2026