Liam Rosenior deftly dodged questions about his links to Chelsea at a recent press conference with Strasbourg, but admitted he had “interactions” with Bruco executives. The 41-year-old faced the press for the first time since being touted by bookmakers as a favorite to win at Stamford Bridge. Following the sacking of manager Enzo Maresca, his name was quickly mentioned as a possible replacement.
Strasbourg’s ownership by the Bruco consortium, which also owns Chelsea, could potentially facilitate a transition for Rosenior. However, despite this organizational link, the former Hull City defender remained tight-lipped about the speculation.
Asked about the Chelsea rumors, Rosenior said: “I’m going to talk about Nice (strasbourg’s next game) because that’s my job.”
When pressed further by a French journalist, he added: “There’s a lot of noise and speculation, but if you get involved as a coach you’ll fail. My job is here and I love this club.”
When asked if he had discussed the possibility of leaving Strasbourg with the players, Rosenior said: “No, I haven’t talked to the players about it.”
“There’s no need for that. They’re connected. And we made some light jokes. But we’ve been focused on our job. The goal is to continue to make great things here.”
Nevertheless, when pressed further on the issue, he seemed to hint that a departure from Strasbourg was not entirely impossible.
“There are no guarantees in life. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I’m just doing my job. There’s already speculation.
“I don’t want to guarantee how long I’ll be here, but I’m enjoying every day here and I’ll continue to do so as long as I’m here. I love this club, but I can’t guarantee anything. Nobody can guarantee it.”
“I want to do my job here. It’s easy. The reality today is that I am the manager of Strasbourg and I am focused on my position.”
He also confirmed talks with Blues bosses and admitted: “We’re part of the same group so there’s interaction.”
When asked why he did not rule out a move to Chelsea, he replied: “To be honest, you can’t control everything in life. I can say you can be here for many years and then get fired.”
Rosenior also responded to questions about the possibility of signing with Strasbourg. In response to the first question purely about the club, rather than any speculation linking him to Chelsea, he answered: “We know what we want.
“There won’t be any major transfers, but we targeted several positions to strengthen the squad. I’m very happy with my group.”
