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Liam Rosenior, who continues to be heavily linked with the Chelsea job, has five non-negotiables
Liam Rosenior has already told the Chelsea higher-ups what to expect ahead of a potential move to Stamford Bridge. The Strasbourg manager has recently emerged as a candidate to replace Enzo Maresca in the dugout after he and the Blues parted ways on New Year's Day.
football.london understands that Rosenior has impressed the Blues hierarchy during his time with the French outfit, also owned by BlueCo – the parent company formed as the investment vehicle for the takeover. The former Hull City boss helped Strasbourg qualify for the UEFA Conference League last season, while integrating lots of exciting young players.
Since taking the reins at Stade de la Meinau, Rosenior has often punched above his weight, enjoying wins over the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais, and Marseille. At the end of November, the Englishman also led Strasbourg to a landmark victory against Crystal Palace on the European stage.
As it stands, it remains to be seen whether or not Rosenior will replace Maresca at Stamford Bridge, with Calum McFarlane expected to take charge of the first-team for the time being, football.london understands.
But if the 41-year-old is given the chance to manage Chelsea, the likes of Estevao Willian and Josh Acheampong could flourish. In an interview with the Premier League website in May 2025, Rosenior outlined the five pillars of his philosophy.
"There’s no right or wrong way of playing but I think you need key principles in place," said the Strasbourg boss. "It's no coincidence the most successful coaches have a fundamental way of working, a clear process and a clear identity.
"Everyone's their own person but if you're a coach that doesn't have a style and you're focused solely on results, long term success feels harder to achieve because you've got no benchmark for your players.
"You're just great if you win, and terrible if you lose. That's not a process of coaching. If you're changing your philosophy every game, pressing one week and sitting off deep the next, the players aren't learning their process either."
Rosenior added: "What I believe in is to take risks, to play from the back, to try and dominate possession, to express yourself with the ball, and to be able to make mistakes.
"We've made a few mistakes here that have led to goals but I know the players will improve from those errors. That's the reason the guys were interested in me coming here, so it's great that they support what I do, and are aligned with what I believe in.
"It gives me the confidence to go and put my ideas into practice."
On whether a manager should be tactically flexible, Rosenior said: "There are times where I believe you can adapt to the game state, and if that means being more pragmatic than I want to be, I can accept that.
"This way, your longer-term process works, because you're getting success. Just finding the right balance between the two is sometimes tricky. Not long ago I remember going 2-0 up against Montpellier, and inside all I wanted to do was to keep attacking them.
"But at that juncture in our season, instinct told me I needed to lock up the game for the final 20 minutes, so I went 5-4-1 and we saw it out. That doesn't make me better or worse than anyone else, but these are the decisions which need to be made in the moment."
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