Chelsea to accelerate Liam Rosenior sack as elite star being ‘wasted’ – pundits | OneFootball

Chelsea have been tipped to bring forward plans to sack Liam Rosenior despite an ‘official statement’, while the coach has been criticised for his treatment of a top star.

Chelsea once again raided sister club Strasbourg in January by appointing Rosenior as their new head coach, following the departure of Enzo Maresca. Rosenior had built up a good reputation at Strasbourg, but it was still seen as a risky move given his lack of experience managing at the elite level.

The Englishman is already under pressure following a string of disappointing results and performances.

Chelsea were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16, losing 8-2 on aggregate, while they have also dropped points against Leeds United, Burnley, Newcastle United and Everton in the Premier League.

The 3-0 loss to Everton before the international break was particularly damaging for Rosenior. It left Chelsea in sixth place and at risk of being caught by both the Toffees and Brentford.

In an interview with Football Insider, former Everton and Aston Villa chief Keith Wyness suggested the ‘official’ line coming out of Stamford Bridge is that Rosenior is safe.

However, that could change quickly if Chelsea ‘collapse’ in the final stages of the season.

“The official statement is no, the first review of his activity will be in the summer of 2027,” Wyness said.

“He’s going to get a whole other season. However, if there is a real collapse in form over the next few games, and it ends really badly, I think there could well be a discussion about that.

“Already the rumblings have started, and it doesn’t seem as though the dressing room is that happy either. It’s just not a happy place right now.

“I don’t know if Rosenior has got the gravitas to be able to turn that around with some of these players, very skilled players, on big money and long-term contracts.

“It’s a difficult situation. And this is one of those known unknowns, so to speak, that when you start giving players longer contracts, they start to get a bit more settled, and they start to get a bit unhappier when things aren’t going the way they want it to be, and then the club is stuck with that liability rather than just an investment.

“It’s a difficult thing for Rosenior, but hopefully he’ll end up with a decent finish to the season.”

To make matters worse for Rosenior, Enzo Fernandez has repeatedly spoken about his desire to move to Madrid, while Marc Cucurella has flirted with Barcelona and criticised Chelsea’s decision not to sign more experienced players.

On Sky Sports, Paul Merson questioned Rosenior’s use of Cole Palmer.

“They’ve got to get back to Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, put Palmer in the No.10 and then put Estevao and Pedro Neto on the wings and put Joao Pedro up front,” he said.

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Liam Rosenior sent Cole Palmer advice

“Get Palmer in the middle of the pitch where he can make things happen.

“At the moment, he’s playing out on the right, he gets the ball and he’s never ever going to run past the full-back. He’s not the quickest in the world.

“The fans want to see Estevao playing as well. He’s direct, he plays with no fear. I think he [Rosenior] has got to go back to that and have a go against Manchester City.

“If he does that, I think they’ve got a chance, but if he plays the two holding midfield players and puts Palmer out on the wing, I think Palmer is wasted.”

More on Rosenior, Palmer…

While Rosenior currently has the backing of the Chelsea hierarchy, we understand work is being done on potential replacements for the future.

Cesc Fabregas is among those being considered as he has an existing relationship with the club and is doing a fantastic job at Como.