Liam Rosenior says he could not turn down Chelsea, but acknowledges the unusual situation in which no contract has been signed yet.
Published January 6, 2026
Racing Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior says he has reached an agreement with Chelsea to become his next manager, but has not yet signed a contract with the Premier League club.
“I haven’t signed yet. I have verbally agreed with Chelsea. This is really important. This is different from what anyone has done before. No one has made a statement before signing the contract,” Rosenija said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“Everything is agreed and will probably be signed in the next few hours,” he said in Strasbourg, France. “I’m here because I care about this club and I felt it was right for me to physically answer your questions here today before we move on.”
Rosenior added that he intends to bring his assistants Khalifa Cissé and Justin Walker to the Premier League club.
The 41-year-old, who joined Ligue 1 side Racing Strasbourg in 2024, said his time at the club was the most rewarding period of his career after spells at Derby County and Hull City.
“The last 18 months have been a joy and the best of my professional career,” Rosenior said. “I met great people, made great memories and made history.”
He said he had been transparent about outside interests in Strasbourg’s ownership.
“I have had interest from a number of clubs, including clubs in the Champions League, and I have always been open to president Marc Keller and our owners,” Rosenija said. “I will always love this club, but I can’t turn down Chelsea.”
Little-known Rosseniol had been widely touted as the front-runner to replace Enzo Maresca since the Italian was sacked on Thursday, not least because Strasbourg and Chelsea are owned by the same consortium, Blueco.
Rosenior, who has no experience coaching in the Premier League, will become Chelsea’s fourth permanent manager since Bruko took charge of the Londoners in 2022.
Chelsea have not yet announced his appointment but met with Rosenior in London on Monday.
