Liam Rosenior sacked: Where did it go wrong and what now for Chelsea?
By Robert O'Connor, Press Association
Liam Rosenior has been sacked by Chelsea after only 23 matches following Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat away to Brighton.
The writing was on the wall for the former Hull and Strasbourg boss after overseeing a run of five Premier League defeats in a row without scoring, the club’s worst run since 1912.
The Press Association looks at how it all went wrong so quickly and who the Blues might turn to next.
Why have the club acted now?
Club statement: Liam Rosenior
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 22, 2026
The decision to dismiss Rosenior after 106 days was ultimately taken due to results which have left the club almost certain to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League.
After opening with four league wins in a row, as well as an impressive 3-2 victory away to Napoli, things began to turn with points dropped needlessly in draws at home to Leeds and Burnley.
The real catalyst for implosion, though, was an error-strewn 5-2 defeat away to Paris Saint Germain in March, a result which exposed frailties in the team’s mentality and started the rot.
An awful 3-0 loss away to Everton pointed towards serious issues, defeat at home to Manchester City was even more damaging for the meek way in which the team capitulated, before a further loss at Stamford Bridge to Manchester United on Saturday put Rosenior on the brink.
Tuesday’s hammering on the south coast was the team’s worst of the season and ultimately made the manager’s position untenable.
What else has gone wrong?
There were doubts from the start about Rosenior’s experience and readiness for a job of this size, with some accusing the club of having taken the easy option in moving him across form sister club Strasbourg.
He was mocked on social media as “LinkedIn Liam” for some of his stranger remarks in press conferences and he quickly became an easy target for ridicule, not least after he defended the players’ bizarre ritual of huddling around the ball – and on one occasion the referee as well – before kick-off.
The team made far too many individual mistakes during his tenure. Filip Jorgensen’s error to gift PSG their third goal in Paris set the tone, fellow goalkeeper Robert Sanchez blundered against Everton, and defender Mamadou Sarr handed the European champions their first goal at Stamford Bridge.
These though were just the most glaring mistakes. The team’s inability to respond as things have gone wrong over the last six weeks exposed an alarming disconnect between the manager and his players.
There was also the fact that the club’s financial accounts published at the start or April revealed record losses, loading the pressure on to the head coach to deliver Champions League qualification immediately.
What about the players?
Rosenior insisted throughout he was building strong relationships with the squad, and some players – most notably Joao Pedro – did improve on his watch.
However, Marc Cucurella cast doubt over the squad harmony regarding the appointment by claiming the club had been destabilised by the loss of Enzo Maresca, while Enzo Fernandez openly courted a move to Real Madrid via a podcast, leading to an internal suspension.
In his final days, Rosenior became agitated by questions from the media about whether there was belief still among the squad they could make the top five, and their insipid display at Brighton made it plain that they were no longer responding to him.
Who’s up next for the job?
Thank you for everything, Andoni â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/LpHEgaLx0N
— AFC Bournemouth ð (@afcbournemouth) April 14, 2026
Outgoing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is an early favourite, days after he confirmed he will leave the Vitality Stadium at the end of the season.
Filip Luis, once a Chelsea player under Jose Mourinho and until recently managing Flamengo in Brazil, is also a contender, as are former Blue Cesc Fabregas and departing Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner.
But an appointment will not come until the summer, with first-team coach and former under-21s boss Calum McFarlane handed the reins until the end of the campaign.
