Chelsea’s players feel Liam Rosenior’s successor needs to be a big character who can command the respect of the dressing room and keep strong egos in line.
With the search under way for the sixth permanent manager of the BlueCo era, it is understood the squad are keen for a shift in focus after failing to connect with Rosenior before his time at Stamford Bridge ended three months into a six-and-a-half-year deal.
Although Rosenior was regarded as a good person, the insider view is that he was fighting a losing battle with the players from the start because they viewed him as too inexperienced and felt he did not know how to manage top players. A source said the 41-year-old, hired as Enzo Maresca’s replacement in January, tried to be a friend to the players behind closed doors, was regarded as an awkward communicator and held too many one-to-one meetings.
Rosenior, who was fired after Brighton damaged Chelsea’s faint Champions League hopes by handing them their fifth consecutive league defeat on Tuesday, ran into problems when Enzo Fernández was hit with an internal two-game suspension after questioning the club’s project and talking up a move to Real Madrid. Fernández is a leading figure in the dressing room – he was worn the captain’s armband when Reece James has been out – and the controversy around the Argentina midfielder is said to have created too much noise.
The squad’s Spanish speakers are said to have been particularly lukewarm on Rosenior’s ability as a coach. Fernández and Marc Cucurella, the Spain left-back, made clear they missed Maresca. The Italian, who was popular with players and regarded as a top coach, left in acrimonious circumstances on New Year’s Day. Chelsea did not fire him and had no desire to make a mid-season change; aggrieved insiders have pinned the blame on the season descending into chaos on what they view as Maresca spoiling his relationship with the hierarchy after 18 promising months in charge.
Rosenior was brought in from Strasbourg, Chelsea’s partner club, and his appointment fitted with the BlueCo model of finding up-and-coming progressive managers who can work in collaboration with Chelsea’s five sporting directors. But the fallout from Rosenior’s demise has left the club keen to bring in a manager with top-level experience and the players are similarly convinced they need to be coached by someone with greater standing in the game.
There is also a desire for someone with a track record of dealing with players from multiple backgrounds. The sense is that Chelsea have a talented group but that some of the younger players need time to develop and are having to learn too quickly because of the inexperience of the squad.
Chelsea, who have placed Calum McFarlane in charge until the summer, have been stalked by indiscipline this season and Rosenior was unable to improve behaviour. A challenge for the board will be convincing a leading manager that moving to Stamford Bridge would represent the right career move. There is interest in Andoni Iraola, who is leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season, but the Spaniard’s intentions remain unclear and some sources are doubtful he would want to join Chelsea.
Other candidates include Como’s Cesc Fàbregas. Xabi Alonso and Xavi Hernández are out of work and Fulham’s Marco Silva could be available. Chelsea have previously made checks on Filipe Luís, their former left-back, who coached Flamengo to multiple trophies before being sacked last month.
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