Liam Rosenior responds to Chelsea speculation as Strasbourg boss confirms talks
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Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior has had his say on the rumours linking him with a potential move to Chelsea following Enzo Maresca's departure.
Recent reports suggest that Rosenior is currently the leading candidate to succeed Maresca at Chelsea.
The 41-year-old led Strasbourg to a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, helping them qualify for European competition for the first time in almost two decades.
More importantly, he already has an established relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy through BlueCo, who are also the stakeholders at Strasbourg.
However, while the former Hull City head coach did not exactly squash the rumours, he also played down the talks over his potential move to west London.
"I’m going to talk about Nice because that’s my job," Rosenior said during his press conference on Friday.
"There’s a lot of noise, a lot of speculation, but as a coach, if you get involved, you fail.
"My job is here, I love this club.
"No, I haven’t spoken to the players about it. There’s no need; they’re connected, and I’ve had a few lighthearted jokes. But we’ve been focused on our work.
"The goal is to continue creating great things here…In life, there are zero guarantees."
He also insisted that while it is hard to predict the future, he is enjoying his time in France.
"I intend to continue doing so as long as I’m here," he added.
"I love this club, but I can’t guarantee anything. Nobody can."
Interestingly, Rosenior admitted that he has had some contact with Chelsea, but insisted that it is simply because Strasbourg and the London club are under the same ownership.
"There are exchanges because we are part of the same group," he explained when speaking about Chelsea.
"I’m honest, you can never control everything in life. I could say I’m going to stay here for years and then get fired."
Calum McFarlane, Chelsea Under-21s head coach, has been given the responsibility to lead the first team for the trip to Manchester City on Sunday, but the club are expected to appoint a new head coach soon.
Meanwhile, Rosenior will be in charge of Strasbourg's visit to Nice on Saturday, which may well be his last game for the club.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.