Inside Liam Rosenior’s 107 days at Chelsea: Squad splits, a strange admission and BlueCo regrets

Tensions were running high between sections of the Chelsea dressing room by the time the club chose to sack head coach Liam Rosenior.

Chelsea felt they had no choice but to act on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a dismal 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. A run of seven defeats in eight games was bad enough, but the manner of the performances showed there was little sign of the 41-year-old being able to turn things around.

Rosenior’s reign lasted just 107 days, the shortest tenure of any coach appointed since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium bought the club in May 2022.

The former Fulham and Hull City defender was appointed on January 6, just five days after Enzo Maresca left Stamford Bridge. Rosenior was well known and well liked among all the Chelsea hierarchy right up until his departure. He had already impressed them over the previous 18 months as head coach of Strasbourg, who are owned by the same parent company, BlueCo.

However, multiple sources — who, like everyone contacted for this article by The Athletic, spoke anonymously to protect relationships — reveal Rosenior faced a difficult task from the outset because of the impact of Maresca’s departure, with many players privately questioning his methods.

By the end, he had few supporters in the squad. One source close to a senior player said that the English contingent in the dressing room stayed supportive the longest, but even they ultimately recognised that Rosenior probably was not the right man for the job.

This is the story of why his tenure was cut short so early.

Chelsea never intended to change head coach mid-season, but, as one senior club source puts it, Maresca’s departure was a case of him “walking out” rather than the club choosing to get rid of him.

At the time, the Chelsea statement announcing his exit simply said the club and the Italian had “parted company”. The Athletic subsequently revealed Maresca had informed Chelsea that he was talking to Manchester City about the possibility of succeeding Pep Guardiola if and when a vacancy arose.

Maresca’s departure was a seismic blow to those players who had loved playing for him, particularly the club’s Spanish-speaking contingent.

One source close to a senior squad member revealed how the player had formed a particularly close bond with Maresca, clearly helped by being able to speak the same language (Maresca had played for Sevilla and Malaga earlier in his career). Maresca was regularly seen hugging and joking with them, but was not the same with others.

Even though Maresca had won just one of his last seven league games before leaving Chelsea, qualifying for the Champions League the season before, plus winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, was regarded as evidence of making major progress by his supporters in the squad.

Both Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, two of Chelsea’s most senior players, publicly questioned why the club allowed Maresca to leave in interviews last month.

Speaking exclusively to The Athletic, Cucurella talked about how Chelsea were “more stable” under Maresca, and that his departure “had a big impact” and caused “instability”. Meanwhile, Fernandez told Mexican broadcaster TUDN that he did not understand why Chelsea had let Maresca go, that it “hurt us a lot” because he had given the team “an identity”.

Marc Cucurella (second from left) was upset to see Enzo Maresca leave (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

They were not the only players who were sorry to see Maresca go, but sources have told The Athletic there were others in the camp who were not quite as devastated. Differences of opinion like this are not unusual at any football club, let alone Chelsea, but they all combined to create a major challenge for Rosenior when he took over.

He made a good start, winning eight of his first 11 matches. But while even the sceptics in the squad conceded that Rosenior was a “nice guy”, multiple sources say there were reservations from a very early stage about the way he communicated.

This was true even before his publicly ridiculed comments about “respecting the ball”, an explanation for Chelsea’s pre-match huddle over the centre circle. This was a ritual used for several weeks during his tenure until an embarrassing incident involving referee Paul Tierney in March sparked a rethink. While Rosenior had supported the tactic, it was actually an idea brought in by the players and player support and development officer Willie Isa.

When Rosenior arrived, there was an intense fixture schedule, meaning there was little time to work on things. Alarmingly, the downturn, which saw Chelsea lose five successive league games without scoring a goal for the first time since 1912, coincided with Rosenior getting more days with the players to put his ideas across.

One source close to a senior player said training sessions were not as good as those provided by another former coach, Mauricio Pochettino, as well as Maresca.

Another explained how the players were struggling to get a grip of what he wanted or understood what he was trying to do, while another said that, unlike Maresca, Rosenior was more of a motivator than a tactician or a manager.

But the consensus on Rosenior’s training methods was not universal. Another source close to a senior player admitted that the level of sessions had dropped noticeably since the Maresca era, but attributed this change to players simply not bringing the same level of intensity as before.

Not everyone was against him or looked down on everything he tried. One source close to the camp revealed how Rosenior’s decision to meet with the most senior players early on to try to get them on board was both smart and appreciated. Rosenior also spoke about giving the younger players a fresh chance and summer signing Jorrel Hato was one who particularly benefited, having been given few opportunities by Maresca. Striker Joao Pedro, who was already a regular under Maresca, scored 12 of his 19 goals this season under Rosenior.

Chelsea club sources speak glowingly about the way Rosenior operated, insisting he conducted himself with real professionalism during his time there. They say Rosenior built strong relationships with players and staff and that the decision was not due to any breakdown in relationships, but simply because of the form the team was in.

When Chelsea scored their last league goals in a 4-1 win at Aston Villa on March 4, things still looked good on the surface. They were fifth in the Premier League, just three points behind Manchester United in third. Three days later, Chelsea booked a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with victory at Wrexham, and after 74 minutes of the Champions League last-16 first leg at Paris Saint-Germain on March 11, the team were well placed to cause a major upset and reach the quarter-finals. Rosenior’s side were drawing 2-2, only for a late collapse to see them beaten 5-2 on the night, and ultimately 8-2 on aggregate. It was a humbling loss that prefaced Chelsea’s Premier League tailspin.

Rosenior’s efforts to engineer a turnaround were undermined by team news leaks several hours before kick-off on three occasions — ahead of both Champions League matches against PSG, plus Brighton. In the latter, a message on X purportedly posted by Cucurella’s barber (and which was subsequently deleted) revealed Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer would not be involved. It proved accurate.

Sources close to the players insist the spirit in the group has slumped. While it is normal for opinions on coaches to vary within a dressing room, it has been an increasing source of angst.

Some players were overheard complaining recently that Rosenior was not giving them enough days off. Sources have revealed that one senior player was unimpressed with what he heard and reminded them that the team was on a losing run and this was not the time to be complaining about such things.

More than one source said the number of players who expressed doubt or dissatisfaction to each other with Rosenior grew over time, and interpreted this trend as jumping on the bandwagon in order to avoid confronting their own poor performances.

Issues have emerged between players who have stood by club decisions and those who have questioned them. As one source close to a senior player puts it: “There are groups in the dressing room that are very pragmatic and just want to see the club do well, and others who have their own agenda. Some are still upset about Maresca going and believe everyone should be that way. Others believe what’s done is done, everyone should move on, and the most important thing is Chelsea.”

Fernandez, who implied in more than one interview during the March international break that he was interested in a move to Real Madrid, was banned by Chelsea for two games, a decision taken by Rosenior and the club. But the effect was to place Chelsea and Rosenior under more scrutiny, especially as Fernandez sat out a bad 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City.

Enzo Fernandez hinted at wanting to leave Chelsea in March (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

For a long period, Chelsea were keen to stick by Rosenior. Chelsea sources point out that Maresca had the benefit of introducing his tactics during pre-season in 2024. They won just one of their six friendlies, but he had the time to work on things without too much pressure, whereas Rosenior was plunged straight into a frenetic period of the season. Some within the club believe last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup exertions are taking a physical toll on the squad, and injuries have mounted in recent weeks. The intention until very recently was to give Rosenior a pre-season and review things at the end of the 2026-27 campaign at the earliest.

The club’s confidence in Rosenior stemmed partly from him having worked within BlueCo since July 2024, when he was appointed at Strasbourg. Chelsea sources talked of Rosenior having had the longest job interview of any of their head coaches before his appointment at Stamford Bridge, and the sporting leadership were impressed by his work at Strasbourg, where his tactics, training and player communication were all regarded as strengths.

Rosenior appreciated this backing, speaking ahead of the Brighton fixture of feeling supported 100 per cent. He mentioned many times how he was involved in transfer plans for the summer.

Co-owner Behdad Eghbali took the rare step to speak publicly at the CAA’s World Congress of Sports conference in Los Angeles last week, and also provided backing. “We think he has every attribute to be successful here,” he said. “He got off to a great start. We’ve had a tough past five, six matches, but I think we’re behind Liam. Of course, it’s a results business, but we think he can be successful long-term.”

A few days later, Chelsea lost 1-0 at home to Manchester United, a damaging result in the club’s pursuit of Champions League qualification. While Rosenior spoke about the display being much better, sources say it was not a view shared by everyone at the club.

Match-going fans increasingly turned on Rosenior, which culminated in chants of “F**k off Rosenior” during his final game in charge.

Sources connected to senior players say they felt the writing was on the wall when Rosenior admitted to them in a team meeting earlier this week that he was feeling extremely vulnerable. While it was thought he was not necessarily referring specifically to his job prospects, it was still perceived as a strange admission.

The hierarchy met on Wednesday morning to discuss options and it was decided they had to make a change to try to end the season on a high. Qualifying for the Champions League is unlikely, but they can still get into the Europa League via the Premier League and/or by winning the FA Cup for the first time since 2018.

Former under-21s coach Calum McFarlane, who was interim for two games after Maresca’s departure and subsequently promoted to Rosenior’s backroom staff, has been chosen to take the helm for the short term once again.

Calum McFarlane will take charge of Chelsea until the end of the season (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

He was on the phone call arranged by Chelsea’s sporting leadership with the squad’s leadership group to communicate the plan for the coaching change on Wednesday. Sources close to players say he is well-liked and rated as a coach. Just like in January, former defender John Terry was not considered for a role, a cause of frustration for the club’s former captain.

Chelsea will take their time to choose their next permanent head coach. Andoni Iraola, who is leaving Bournemouth at the end of this campaign, is one of seven or eight names under consideration. Chelsea insist no talks with candidates or representatives had taken place before Rosenior’s departure, but that process is now likely to be accelerated. Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas would be an appealing option but is committed to his current job at Como, where he has excelled.

Chelsea’s first priority is to unite and try to beat Leeds United at Wembley on Sunday. Club sources insist the relationship between the hierarchy and the players is strong, underlined by the recent decisions of club captain Reece James and Moises Caicedo to sign new long-term contracts. But easing the doubts over the direction the club is heading will be harder to fix.

As one source close to a senior player said: “They had to sack Rosenior, but it is hard to see how this team progresses to something bigger with how things are being handled.”