Jason Pettigrove
Liam Rosenior, former Chelsea manager, before the match against Brighton
Simon Dack/TPI / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Even before Chelsea delivered one of their worst performances of the season at Brighton and Hove Albion, Liam Rosenior was already under scrutiny.
The 41-year-old coach arrived from Strasbourg after Enzo Maresca’s departure, despite lacking experience at an elite club.
**Fifth consecutive goalless defeat**
Things started wonderfully well, with the Blues winning six of their first seven matches under Rosenior. But then the situation spiraled downward at an alarming rate.
Losing after such a poor display was always going to have major repercussions for the man in the dugout.
Chelsea’s recent matches
Flashscore
Notably, this was the fifth straight Premier League defeat without scoring – the first time that has happened since 1912 – and the seventh loss in eight games, including the 8-2 aggregate thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Moreover, the only victory in those eight matches came against humble Port Vale in the FA Cup.
**Eight managers in three years, but only 49 in club history**
Chelsea’s owners, Clearlake Capital/BlueCo – hardly the most popular group in West London right now – clearly felt they had no choice but to relieve Rosenior of his duties. But that now leaves the club in the awkward position of needing to find another first-team coach.
For perspective, any new man taking charge from the start of the 2026/27 season would be the eighth since 2023.
Under this ownership, the Blues have appointed Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor, Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino, Calum McFarlane, Rosenior, and now McFarlane again until the end of the current campaign.
Considering that the Stamford Bridge side has had only 49 managers (permanent, interim, or caretaker) in their entire history, having nearly a fifth of them in just the last three years says it all.
**Fàbregas a strong candidate**
The question now is who would want to take the risk under the current administration, where continuity does not seem to be in the vocabulary.
Experts are backing a return for Cesc Fàbregas – this time as a manager. Three years younger than Rosenior, he has the authority to immediately command respect in the dressing room. But given how well he is currently doing at Como, there are strong reasons why he might prefer to stay in Serie A.
Among other things, he has been given the chance to lead the first team and is now close to qualifying the club for their first European campaign in history.
With 16 wins this season in 33 matches (a 48.5% win rate), only Max Allegri, Cristian Chivu, Gian Piero Gasperini, and Antonio Conte have won more games in Serie A in 2025/26.
**Is Filipe Luís the right fit?**
Filipe Luís, being available, is in a better position to be hired. The former Atlético Madrid and Deportivo La Coruña left-back was sacked by Flamengo, despite winning 23 of 38 matches in the Brazilian Serie A, with 10 draws and only five defeats.
An exceptional 60.5% win rate came from scoring 78 goals in those games and conceding only 27, but it is doubtful whether the Brazilian could replicate that kind of dominance in West London.
Other names have been mentioned in passing, such as Frank Lampard, José Mourinho, and Oliver Glasner. However, none of them could be considered truly realistic.
**Iraola might be a more plausible signing**
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