Alan Shearer pinpoints ‘big question’ over Chelsea frontrunner Liam Rosenior | Football

Alan Shearer has been impressed by what he has seen from Liam Rosenior but questions whether the manager is ‘ready’ for the ‘size of the job’ he could encounter at Chelsea.

Chelsea dropped the bombshell news that Enzo Maresca had departed as head coach of the club on New Year’s Day, with the Italian calling it quits after 18 months in the role.

Despite steering Chelsea to Europa Conference League and Club World Cup glory, Maresca pointed to an apparent lack of ‘support’ from Stamford Bridge bosses following the side’s victory over Everton last month.

And as results nosedived over a tricky winter period, the 45-year-old decided the relationship had deteriorated beyond repair.

Under-21 manager Calum McFarlane has taken over the reins ahead of Chelsea’s heavyweight contest away to Manchester City this weekend, with the visitors sitting fifth in the Premier League table.

Rosenior, the current head coach of BlueCo-owned Strasbourg, has emerged as the overwhelming frontrunner to succeed Maresca and discussions have reportedly ‘intensified’ in recent hours.

The 41-year-old Englishman, whose Strasbourg side sit seventh in Ligue 1, has earned himself a stellar reputation for his progressive playing style and meticulous man-management skills, especially with exciting young talent.

But given Rosenior’s lack of inexperience at an elite level, Shearer has some concerns that the Chelsea job could be too big of a jump for the former Hull City boss – as it proved for Graham Potter.

‘Liam Rosenior has had a good run at Strasbourg, he got sacked at Hull under slightly bizarre circumstances and he’s highly thought of,’ the legendary ex-England and Newcastle striker told Betfair.

‘The big question will be: is he ready for a job the size of Chelsea? Does he know exactly what he’s taking on? We’ve seen a guy go there recently with potential in Graham Potter, and we know what happened to him.

‘I can understand the need for a young, up-and-coming coach. I don’t think Chelsea will get one of the “huge” managers because of the way they want to run the club. So, I guess that’s why they’ll go down the potential route rather than a big-name manager.’

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Shearer hopes Rosenior is able to prove his doubters wrong should he be appointed as Chelsea’s new manager, especially given the lack of English coaches at the very top level of the modern game.

‘It would be great for a young English manager to get the job. He chose to go abroad and learn something different, which shows hunger. I know his time at Hull ended strangely, but to go abroad and learn a different lifestyle is impressive,’ Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, added.

‘He’ll have to think long and hard about whether it’s the right thing for his career, but Chelsea is a huge club in the mix for trophies. It’ll be very difficult to turn down.

‘Whoever comes in, top four is the target for Chelsea. They’re not going to win the league; I think it’s clear the top two will be City and Arsenal. They have to qualify for the Champions League. Pretty simple.’

Shearer is confident Maresca will be remembered fondly by Chelsea fans having steered the club to two pieces of silverware in his relatively short time at the club.

‘His time at Chelsea should be viewed as a successful spell for Maresca. They beat the best team around last year in PSG; he out-coached the Coach of the Year,’ he went on.

‘They won the Conference League, which you’d expect, but not many thought they’d go to the Club World Cup and win. He’s in and around the top four, so for me, he’s done a really good job.

‘He’ll leave with his stock high. I don’t think he’ll struggle to get another job because of the work he’s done at Chelsea and Leicester.

‘Whether he gets one of the big ones remains to be seen. There’s been talk about City, hasn’t there, but it depends on if Pep Guardiola decides to leave and when, but he won’t struggle for a job in England or abroad.’

Facing the media on Friday, Rosenior refused to provide any assurances over his Strasbourg future when quizzed on the rumours linking him with Chelsea.

‘I’m going to talk about Nice because that’s my job,’ he responded.

‘There’s a lot of noise, a lot of speculation, but as a coach, if you get involved in that, you fail. My job is here, I love this club.

‘In life, there are zero guarantees. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I do my job. There has already been speculation.

‘I don’t want to guarantee how long I’ll be here, but I enjoy myself here every day. I intend to continue to do so as long as I am here. I love this club but I can’t guarantee anything. No one can do that.

I want to do my job here, it’s simple. The reality today is that I am the manager of Strasbourg and that I am focused on my position.’

Pressed on where there had been any talks between Chelsea and Strasbourg, he replied: ‘We’re part of the same company… so, I’ve had contact with the guys from the beginning.

‘What I can say is they’ve been so supportive of me in this job. They want this club to do so well, as they do Chelsea. I’m focused on Strasbourg.’

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