Rosenior deserves Chelsea chance, says Rooney

Wayne Rooney and Liam Rosenior have worked together, and the former England international fondly recalls their time at Derby County.

Rosenior, who has the same owners as the French club, is the most likely candidate to succeed him as Chelsea’s new boss.

The 41-year-old arrived in London on Sunday night to begin discussions with Chelsea regarding replacing Enzo Maresca, which are still in progress.

Rosenior, an Englishman, served as Wayne Rooney’s assistant manager at Derby between 2021 and 2022, and he took over as League One’s interim manager following the departure of the Manchester United legend.

He then oversaw Hull City before being fired, despite only missing the Championship play-offs and relocating to Strasbourg in 2024.

On the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said, “He’s taken chances, and hopefully that pays off because I believe Liam is the best coach I’ve ever worked with.”

He is as good as I’ve worked with in terms of detail and how he approaches the day-to-day.

Since leaving Derby, Rooney has run the media, including his BBC podcast, for DC United, Birmingham City, and Plymouth Argyle.

Rooney remarked, “Liam was very significant for me.” He excelled in the hands of coaching. I handled players and everything under the control of the manager.

Rooney claimed that Rosenior could do a good job for Chelsea and that he had no doubts.

After 18 months in charge, Enzo Maresca resigned from his position with the Blues due to disagreements with the club’s owners.

Rosenior last played for Brighton in 2017 before joining the Premier League.

He played for Fulham, Reading, and Hull in the top flight, and he had a solid but unspectacular career as a player.

He began his coaching career in the EFL, where roughly half of his career was spent.

He spent three years at Derby, where he worked with Phillip Cocu before Rooney, before serving as Brighton’s under-23s coach.

You don’t want to cross him either, Rooney said. “He also has a side,” he said.

That is equally crucial. He won’t let you down if he enters there. He has been anticipating this opportunity for some time.

“You’re never going to take it if you don’t take it right away.” And I believe he has completed his work, attempting to obtain that position.

Therefore, he’ll have no doubts about his suitability. And I’m hoping to hear that he is the manager very soon, because I believe it is significant for young English coaches.

“We don’t really see big clubs with English managers,” he said. He would therefore be leading the charge for our cause.