Chelsea have wasted no time in finding their new manager, handing the keys over to Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior. The club made the official announcement on Tuesday, drawing vitriol from Strasbourg’s supporters’ federation.
The two clubs are both under the umbrella of BlueCo, the consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly.
It is becoming more normalised for multiple clubs to share the same owners, but those involved with Strasbourg have voiced their concerns with the move.
“Another humiliating step”: Strasbourg fury over BlueCo move
The club’s supporters’ federation have called it “ another humiliating step in Racing’s subservience to Chelsea.”
Rosenior’s final game in charge against Nice saw fans hold a five-minute silent protest, along with banners condemning BlueCo and the emergence of multi-club models.
They also claim that: “The problem goes far beyond the mid-season sporting impact and the ambitions of a young coach. It is structural; the future of French club football is at stake.”
Scathing criticism was aimed at Club President Mark Keller, who was told: “Every extra minute spent at the helm of the club is an insult to the tremendous work accomplished before 2023,” warning that “He must leave. Now.”
The backlash from the fans doesn’t end at Strasbourg, as the supporters’ federation will “coordinate closely with the three other associations actively fighting against multiple ownership.”
Smaller clubs are fed up with feeling like their sole existence is to feed a parent club, and calling this out could become more common in the future.
Image credit: Detlef Johnssen, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Who is Liam Rosenior and what are Chelsea getting?
Rosenior joins the Blues with a fairly modest coaching resume, having managed Hull and Strasbourg for barely 100 games combined.
He narrowly missed out on the playoffs with the Tigers two years ago, before plying his trade in the East of France, guiding Strasbourg to 7th in Ligue 1 last season.
As a player, he played for a host of clubs during his professional career, including Bristol City, Fulham, Hull, and Ipswich.
He made multiple appearances for England U21s but never earned a senior cap. Rosenior will not take charge as Chelsea visit Fulham on Wednesday, January 7.
Why Chelsea fans may be unconvinced
His lack of experience will undoubtedly worry Chelsea fans, who all too often see their club sack a manager prematurely despite having the youngest squad in the league.
The influx of spending on young, relatively unproven talent over the last few years has yet to come to fruition as they find themselves 5th, 17 points off the Premier League leaders, Arsenal.
The best spell of the Todd Boehly era came under its latest victim, Enzo Maresca.
Maresca’s Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs weren’t enough for him to keep his job, raising the question of how someone with as little experience as Rosenior will lead them to the promised land.
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