Chelsea Identifies Liam Rosenior As Enzo Maresca’s Replacement: Reports

• Chelsea has reportedly identified their next manager hours after parting company with Enzo Maresca
• The Italian manager exits the club 18 months into a five-year contract, during which he won two trophies
• The sources informed of the situation have ruled out Cesc Fabregas, Oliver Glasner and Roberto de Zerbi

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Chelsea has reportedly identified RC Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s replacement hours after parting ways with the Italian.

Maresca was in charge at Stamford Bridge for a season and a half, leading the club to the 2025 UEFA Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.

Chelsea confirmed in an official statement on January 1, 2026, that both the Blues and the Italian tactician have agreed to discontinue their relationship.

The decision to part ways comes after reports emerged in the English media that Maresca’s relationship with the club had deteriorated to a breaking point.

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Enzo Maresca’s record at Chelsea

Enzo Maresca was in charge at Chelsea for 18 months, managing 92 matches across all competitions. He won 55, drew 16 and lost 21, recorded 191 goals scored and 98 conceded.

He won two trophies and oversaw some top wins, including a 3-0 victory over PSG and Barcelona in the Club World Cup final and the UEFA Champions League group stage.

As noted by Opta, his average points per game in the Premier League is 1.74. Only Frank Lampard (1.52) and Mauricio Pochettino (1.66) have fewer numbers among managers with 30+ matches.

In another not-so-fancy record from Opta Joe, he is the first Premier League manager to leave his club on New Year's Day.

Liam Rosenior to replace Maresca?

Multiple reports in the English media confirmed that Chelsea will name a new head coach sooner rather than later after Maresca’s departure.

Many names have popped up, but sources informed of the situation have ruled out the majority of them, leaving only one as the leading candidate.

Oliver Glasner, Roberto de Zerbi, Andoni Iraola and Cesc Fabregas, all of whom have previously been linked, will not take the job at the moment.

According to BBC Sports, BlueCo club in France, RC Strasbourg’s manager, Liam Rosenior, has emerged as the leading candidate to take charge at Stamford Bridge.

The hierarchy has long admired the Englishman and sees him as a future Chelsea manager after impressing in France, qualifying the club for the UEFA Europa Conference League this season.

His appointment is expected to come after Sunday's match against Manchester City and will depend on finding a replacement for Strasbourg.

Journalist Ben Jacobs reported that Chelsea U21 coach Calum MacFarlane will oversee the team against Manchester City and will hold a press conference on Friday.

The move will unsettle Strasbourg and may reignite the protest from their fans towards BlueCo, with captain Emanuel Emegha joining Chelsea in the summer.

FC Porto manager Francesco Farioli is also one of the reported options, with Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes leading the search alongside Chelsea sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart.

Why Chelsea sacked Maresca

Legit.ng previously reported why Chelsea sacked Enzo Maresca after the club confirmed it had parted ways with the Italian manager on New Year's Day.

The two parties have long struggled with a broken relationship, which reached a breaking point after the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.

Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.