Jacob Steinberg 

Liam Rosenior arrives in London to discuss taking over as Chelsea manager

Chelsea are closing in on the appointment of Liam Rosenior after the Strasbourg manager flew to London to hold talks over the role
  
  

Liam Rosenior who is currently in charge of French club Strasbourg
Liam Rosenior is currently in charge of French club Strasbourg, who are also owned by BlueCo. Photograph: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images

Chelsea are closing in on the appointment of Liam Rosenior after the Strasbourg manager flew to London to hold talks over the role.

The 41-year-old is due to meet with the west London club on Monday and it is expected that discussions will end with him agreeing to replace Enzo Maresca, who left Stamford Bridge in acrimonious circumstances earlier this.

Rosenior quickly emerged as the favourite for the job after Maresca’s exit but the main obstacle that had to be overcome was that BlueCo, the investment vehicle that owns both Chelsea and Strasbourg, had to be sensitive to the needs of both clubs.

BlueCo’s leaders did not want to meet with Rosenior, who boarded a flight from France on Sunday, before Strasbourg had faced Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday. The former Hull City manager was accompanied by ­Strasbourg’s president, Marc Keller, and sporting director, David Weir.

Chelsea’s board and sporting directors are big fans of Rosenior. It remains to be seen if he is installed in time for the Premier League side’s trip to Fulham on Wednesday. Chelsea’s Under-21s coach, Calum McFarlane, was in interim charge for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

Rosenior was placed on a small shortlist after Maresca parted ­company with Chelsea. Porto’s ­Francesco Farioli is admired and there was also interest in Filipe Luís of Flamengo. Luís led ­Flamengo to victory against Chelsea at last summer’s Club World Cup. The Brazilian also played for the club.

BlueCo are keen to find a quality replacement for Rosenior at Strasbourg. Filipe Coelho and Jean-Marc Kuentz are expected to take interim charge. It is understood that the former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil is a contender to take over on a permanent basis. Minnesota United’s Eric Ramsay has been monitored.

 

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