Chelsea move sparks fresh Brian Barry-Murphy exit threat for Cardiff City | OneFootball

Bluebirds boss Barry-Murphy appears to be highly-regarded across the English Channel

Cardiff City may have a new Brian Barry-Murphy fear to contend with, as reports are linking him with the Strasbourg job in the wake of Enzo Maresca's sacking from Chelsea.

The Bluebirds entered 2026 at the top of the League One table, and they remained there on New Year’s Day thanks to a 1-1 draw away at Wycombe Wanderers.

They are being led in the dugout by Barry-Murphy, whose appointment over the summer following City’s relegation from the Championship raised some eyebrows, but the Irishman is certainly proving the doubters wrong - and he’s already being linked away from South Wales.

Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy linked with Strasbourg

According to claims from French publication L'Equipe - via GFFN - Barry-Murphy is on the shortlist of Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg, should current head coach Liam Rosenior leave the club.

Former EFL stalwart Rosenior is one of the hot favourites for the new Chelsea vacancy, and with the two clubs being owned by the same entity in the form of BlueCo, there is every chance that the former Hull City boss makes the jump into a top Premier League job sooner rather than later.

That would open a vacancy up at the Stade de la Meinau, and as per the aforementioned report from L'Equipe, Barry-Murphy is one of the coaches that is on the club's radar as they seek a potential succession plan.

47-year-old Barry-Murphy returned to senior club management in 2025 after four years away from it, having left Rochdale in the summer of 2021 following their relegation to League Two.

The Cork-born coach landed a plum job as manager of Man City's Elite Development Squad though, spending three years at the Premier League giants and winning the Premier League 2 competition twice in a row, before leaving the role in 2024.

And after a short stint assisting Ruud van Nistelrooy at Leicester City last season, Barry-Murphy landed the Cardiff vacancy and has been tasked with taking the Bluebirds back to the Championship at the first time of asking - but will he be around to see that job through?

Strasbourg job must be tempting for Brian Barry-Murphy if it becomes a possibility

It's important to stress that there is not a vacancy at Strasbourg currently, but you can't put it past Todd Boehly to go directly to Chelsea's sister club and take their highly-rated manager.

There are also other names in the frame too, such as Chelsea's under-21's boss Calum McFarlane, Kjetil Knutsen and Eric Ramsay, so it's not just Barry-Murphy that is being linked.

However, even with Cardiff doing incredibly well under his management, Barry-Murphy would surely be tempted by the prospect of moving to Strasbourg if the opportunity arose.

Their owners BlueCo are somewhat of a powerhouse in football now and have plenty of money to spend, and that direct line to Chelsea brings great opportunity for whoever Strasbourg's head coach may be - that is something that may not be able to be ignored by Barry-Murphy himself.