He holds Wayne Rooney as a key influence, but are stints at Derby, Hull and Strasbourg enough preparation for the hot seat at Stamford Bridge?
L
iam Rosenior started this decade as a columnist for the Guardian and is now the favourite to replace Enzo Maresca as manager of Chelsea. While the prospect of Barney Ronay or Jonathan Liew making the move into management is a tantalising one, Rosenior’s rise – from a youth coach at Brighton to an assistant and interim manager at Derby before full-time management at Hull City and Strasbourg – shows just how far the 41-year-old has come.
After a very respectable playing career at Bristol City, Fulham, Reading, Hull City and Brighton, Rosenior earned a coaching job at the latter, managing the Seagulls’ under-23 side and supplemented that with punditry roles.
Rosenior has claimed that his coaching has been informed by his work in the media, and also cites both NFL legend Bill Belichick and Wayne Rooney as key influences, with Rosenior appointed assistant manager to the latter at Derby County in 2021. “Without that experience with Wayne, I don’t think I would be the manager I am now.” Rosenior told the Athletic recently, praising Rooney’s “pressure management, man management, being intuitive and the lessons he learned from Sir Alex Ferguson.” Rosenior has described Ferguson as his “hero”.
