BREAKING: Chelsea Sacks Liam Rosenior After Brighton Defeat?
Liam Rosenior’s position as Chelsea head coach is becoming increasingly uncertain following Tuesday’s damaging 3-0 defeat by Brighton.
It’s understood he may be sacked as early as Sunday if Chelsea lose FA Cup semi-final tie with Leeds United.
Last week, Rosenior received public and private backing from the club’s hierarchy but none was forthcoming on Wednesday, sources have indicated to BBC Sport.
In addition, a number of players are understood to be unconvinced by the 41-year-old, who moved to Chelsea from their French partner club Strasbourg just over three months ago.
While the players have a day off, the club’s leadership are at the training ground.
It is understood Rosenior’s position is being discussed internally as part of a range of options after the loss, which further damaged their season’s aim of Champions League qualification.
Chelsea fans turned on Rosenior at Amex Stadium, while the head coach publicly criticised his players after the loss.
He said his his team’s performance in the defeat by Brighton – a fifth successive league loss without scoring, which is their worst run for 114 years – was both “indefensible” and “unacceptable”.
Chelsea are seventh in the Premier League, five points adrift of a top-five spot and Champions League qualification, with four matches remaining.
Rosenior signed a five-and-a-half-year deal in early January following the departure of Enzo Maresca.
Before the Brighton defeat, Rosenior said he felt “100%” support from the club’s ownership
Last week, influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali said the hierarchy remain behind Rosenior, adding: “Of course, it’s a results business, but we think he can be successful long term.”
Rosenior is becoming a point of frustration, according to multiple figures close to Chelsea players.
The extent of that frustration varies. Some describe him as a friendly character who means well, while others enjoyed working with him at his previous club, Strasbourg, part of the same BlueCo ownership group.
Others, notably several Spanish-speaking players, are understood to have preferred working under Maresca. That was reflected in interviews given by Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez.
Decisions to rotate goalkeepers and limit minutes for certain players, including Josh Acheampong, who often features briefly from the bench, have caused some discontent.
Perhaps most concerning is the atmosphere within the leadership group. One source inside Chelsea said senior players are often quiet when invited to give their views during near-daily team meetings.
Rosenior is not the only issue at Chelsea. Players are also concerned about the financial consequences of failing to qualify for the Champions League again while on incentive-based contracts.
Others have broader frustrations, having joined a club they believed would challenge for trophies but who are now consistently falling short.
Chelsea would point out that forward Cole Palmer has publicly reaffirmed his commitment to the club in the past week, while midfielder Moises Caicedo has signed a new contract. Captain Reece James has also recently extended his deal.
Those deals were sorted before this five-game losing run.
