Liam Rosenior is BlueCo’s Chelsea yes man, even if he absolutely insists he isn’t | OneFootball

Are you the kind of person who thinks Liam Rosenior was appointed Chelsea boss because his current club just so happens to be owned by the same company? Well I’ve got news for you: the man himself says this is an appointment like any other.

After being in London over the weekend for talks, Rosenior was back in Strasbourg, albeit briefly, to give one final press conference telling the world he had agreed to join Chelsea.

“I haven’t signed yet, I’ve agreed verbally with Chelsea,” he said. “Everything is agreed, it will probably go through in the next few hours. I’m here because I care about this club and I thought it was important to answer your questions before I go on with the next stage of my career.”

It really gives off ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ vibes doesn’t it? Rosenior arrives at Stamford Bridge with the task of not only being Chelsea boss but having to justify his existence from the off.

Rosenior is a BlueCo employee and that statement does not change regardless of which dugout he is sat in, but he has stressed that Strasbourg being used as a feeder club for Chelsea is not disrespectful.

“If it wasn’t Chelsea, another club of the same standard, Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona, would this move be seen as disrespectful? It isn’t the first time a manager has moved in mid-season. Football is an industry where people will head hunt people who think that they will help them win.”

Which is true but this is a little different, isn’t it? For starters, the likes of Real Madrid, PSG and Barcelona would have had to negotiate a deal with Strasbourg to get Rosenior out of his contract and, here’s the kicker, Strasbourg could have said no.

Saying no was not a possibility in this case. Strasbourg will do what they’re told and their fans just have to put up with it.

Rosenior went further to try and justify his move, saying he had “interest” from Champions League clubs.

“I have had interest from many clubs, including Champions League clubs, which I have always been open with to [president] Marc [Keller] and our ownership. I will love this club for the rest of my life but I cannot turn down Chelsea.”

Can that be true? Rosenior’s CV is not exactly the kind that has big clubs itching for a piece. He did well as assistant to Wayne Rooney at Derby with the suggestion that he was the one coaching the players, but at Hull he was sacked after they failed to reach the play-offs.

His Strasbourg side are seventh. Is Habib Beye, manager of sixth-placed Rennes, being linked with any Champions League clubs?

Rosenior also said “Strasbourg is not on as big a level as Chelsea”. True, but when your club exists to support another, you’d rather not hear it spelled out so bluntly.

“I hope fans understand that their manager has been identified as someone to be the coach of the world champions.”

Identified? It doesn’t feel like a through recruitment process.

To be fair to Rosenior, he does seem willing to not stick to media-approved statements. In a regular column for the Guardian, he slagged off Donald Trump, but will he be able to speak his mind as much now that he is in charge of Chelsea? We saw how that went for Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim this week.

Chelsea have given him a six-and-a-half year deal, presumably for financial amortisation reasons, instantly propelling him near the top of the tree in terms of Premier League manager contract lengths, but is anyone under the illusion that the BlueCo board want him to be anything more than a yes man?

Enzo Maresca walked away, presumably without a large payout, because he had become so frustrated by the middle management of a club where doctors are reportedly given just as much say on team selection as the manager. Rosenior will know that rocking the apple cart too much will mean a similar fate.