The Winners, Losers From Chelsea’s Liam Rosenior Appointment

The Blues’ new managerial arrival promises to shake things up at Stamford Bridge.

Liam Rosenior watched his side lose to Fulham a day after his appointment. / Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images, Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

It’s new year, new manager for Chelsea after they replaced the frustrated Enzo Maresca with the up and coming Liam Rosenior.

Poached from BlueCo-owned Strasbourg, the relatively inexperienced 41-year-old becomes the latest managerial experiment in west London and the pressure will be immediate. While the future is never certain at Chelsea, it appears likely that Rosenior will employ an entirely different approach to his predecessor.

A high-octane, energy-first strategy will be in operation under the former Hull City manager, who has favoured a 3-4-2-1 formation during his time with Strasbourg. It’s a system he could well implement with his new Chelsea team, although flexibility will be crucial early in his reign.

Chelsea’s bloated squad must prepare for the arrival of yet another new coach with fresh ideas and emotions will be mixed in the dressing room.

Here are the winners and losers from Rosenior’s appointment.

Chelsea’s Potential Tactics & Team Under New Manager. dark. LIAM ROSENIOR. Rosenior Tactics

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Winners

Estêvão

Estêvão could thrive under Rosenior. / Pedro Salado/Getty Images

There have been suggestions that Chelsea view Estêvão as an attacking midfielder long-term, despite the fact that he’s lined up on the right wing repeatedly since arriving at Stamford Bridge. The precocious 18-year-old has sparkled in spurts but was more readily used as an impact substitute than a starter under Maresca.

However, Rosenior’s arrival could result in an increase in minutes for the Brazilian in a second attacking midfield position alongside Cole Palmer—providing Rosenior persists with an admittedly fluid 3-4-2-1 system.

Estêvão will likely have to share minutes with the likes of João Pedro and Enzo Fernández in such a role, but the teenager has already proven he boasts the technical quality to swim rather than sink.

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Liam Delap

Liam Delap has played under Rosenior previously. / Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images

Not only has Liam Delap played under Rosenior, the now Chelsea coach actually signed him during his time at Hull. Drafted in on a season-long loan from Manchester City, the towering striker thrived under Rosenior, managing eight goals and two assists during his term in the Championship at the MKM Stadium.

A position that could well be up for grabs upon Rosenior’s arrival is the No. 9 slot. Pedro has generally operated there this term, but he’s not a clinical, out-and-out centre forward. The Brazil international is arguably better-suited to an attacking midfield role moving forward.

Delap, however, has the traits of a traditional striker. Strong, powerful and a proven goalscorer, the Englishman could blossom following a reunion with his former coach. He certainly did his chances of more minutes no harm by scoring against Fulham with Rosenior in the stands watching.

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Andrey Santos

Andrey Santos has worked with Rosenior in France. / Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images

Andrey Santos is another to have worked under Rosenior previously and he made quite the impression on his new boss during their spell at Strasbourg. The Brazilian played 34 games for Rosenior in 2024–25 and made his mark, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists across all competitions.

While wrestling his way into the team ahead of Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo will prove an immense challenge, Rosenior could well provide Santos with more starting opportunities than he received under Maresca.

He’s started just five Premier League games this term and only one in Europe, but with a jam-packed schedule on the horizon for Chelsea, Santos can be an incredibly useful asset for Rosenior in the coming months.

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Mike Penders

Mike Penders: Chelsea’s future No.1? / Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

Another place up for grabs over the long-term is Chelsea’s starting goalkeeper. Robert Sánchez has improved this season but remains an unconvincing presence between the sticks, while Filip Jörgensen has failed to inspire confidence during his rare stints in the team.

Chelsea could already have the solution to their goalkeeping dilemma, though, with Mike Penders, who is currently on loan at Strasbourg from the Blues, considered a potential star in the making. He’s been the French side’s starting stopper under Rosenior this season and has impressed during a first campaign in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Rosenior has witnessed the Belgian’s development first hand and will likely be willing to offer him an opportunity come the beginning of next season. Chelsea rarely waste the chance to enter the market, but the Blues might already possess their Sánchez successor.

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Losers

Reece James

Reece James could be forced into a wing back role. / Aziz Karimov/Getty Images

Reece James will always find a route into the Chelsea team—the club captain is just too good to ignore. However, should Rosenior change system, then the Cobham graduate could be asked to play as a wing back rather than a right back, which is a role he thrived in during Thomas Tuchel’s reign. So, what’s the problem?

Well, the demanding nature of the wing back role, which requires endless darts up and down the wing, will push James’s body to its limits. The 26-year-old is infamously injury prone and the management of his minutes under Maresca this season has been crucial to him steering clear of the treatment table.

James missed over 20 matches through injury during Tuchel’s time at the club and given Rosenior’s desire for energy and eagerness for his teams to press high up the pitch, the England international will be required to work incredibly hard in the ruthless wing back role.

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Alejandro Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho might struggle for minutes. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

The system Rosenior has used at Strasbourg doesn’t lend itself to natural wingers. The inside forward positions are generally reserved for attacking midfielders, or wide men more prone to drifting centrally. However, Alejandro Garnacho doesn’t fit either of those categories.

The Argentine likes to hang wide, using his speed to fly past opposition full backs, and that could result in him being overlooked by Rosenior—especially with Chelsea’s other wingers, such as Pedro Neto and Estêvão, competing for the same spots.

Garnacho’s lack of defensive nous also makes him unlikely to operate in the left wing back position. The former Manchester United forward is not renowned for his work rate out of possession, which will hamper his progress under Rosenior no matter which position he takes up.

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Jamie Gittens

Jamie Gittens has struggled at Chelsea. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Similarly to Garnacho, fellow summer signing Jamie Gittens now appears further from making his mark at Chelsea than ever. The speedy winger has struggled during the early days of his return to England, lacking the polish and technical skill required to displace the likes of Neto and, to a lesser extent, Garnacho.

Gittens has been all sizzle and no steak during his brief Chelsea career and given the club’s turnover of attacking players, he should be concerned for his long-term future at Stamford Bridge. While Rosenior’s arrival offers Gittens a fresh chance to impress, he will also suffer from a potential lack of wingers in the new manager’s setup.

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