Chelsea are closing in on the appointment of new head coach Liam Rosenior, who arrived in London on Sunday, sources told ESPN.
Rosenior took charge of Strasbourg’s 0-0 draw away to Nice on Saturday, but insisted after the game that he had not yet discussed a move with Chelsea. Negotiations are expected to accelerate in the future, with Rosenior as the club’s leading candidate.
Strasbourg’s position within the same ownership group (Blueco completed its acquisition of the Blues in 2022) should make this process smoother. Rosenior flew to London with Strasbourg president Marc Keller and sporting director David Weir.
No deal has been finalized yet, but hopes are growing that the situation could progress quickly, with a formal announcement likely to be made within the next few days, possibly before Wednesday’s away game against Fulham.
Chelsea parted ways with manager Enzo Maresca on Thursday, asking Under-21 manager Callum MacFarlane to take charge of his first first-team game at Manchester City.
Sunday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw after Enzo Fernandes’ 94th-minute equalizer canceled out Tijani Lijnders’ first-half lead.
MacFarlane was asked after the game what his schedule would be like for the next few days.
“Training tomorrow,” he said. “Tonight, unless I’m told otherwise, I’m going to be in that session. My only focus is obviously on this game, which is the challenge. But until I’m told otherwise, I’ll be leading the team, so for now I’ll be leading the team tomorrow.”
“When I first took this job, I was told I would be attending a Manchester City game, so I was only in the team for three days. The new manager could arrive on Monday, and that’s what I was told at the beginning.”
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“Obviously, it’s Sunday and we’ve been just focused on the game. So I’m sure we’ll have more information after this press conference, but as far as I know we’ll have a new coach soon and I’ll be leading the team until he gets there.”
MacFarlane also praised Chelsea’s response after a tumultuous few days, including losing defender Wesley Fofana to the virus and goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez to a muscular problem.
“I think the thing that impressed me the most was probably the players,” he said. “The interim manager at the Etihad, the players being unwell, the players being unwell on game day and the day before the game, all the changes and them coming back together and taking that information and implementing it speaks volumes about the character of this club.
“Young players can fall apart at that moment, but I thought they were exceptional.”
Sources have told ESPN that former Bournemouth and Wolves manager Gary O’Neill is one of three candidates to replace Rosenior at Strasbourg.
