Chelsea may find themselves in a difficult position in the future, having found themselves in a difficult position during the appointment of manager Liam Rosenior. The former Strasbourg manager was announced as the Blues’ new head coach on Tuesday, just five days after Enzo Maresca left his job at Stamford Bridge. Rossenia will be watching Wednesday’s game against Fulham from the stands, with Callum MacFarlane in charge at Craven Cottage.
His first game on the touchline will be on Saturday night when Chelsea travel to the capital to take on Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round. Rosenior has signed a long-term contract with his new employer, locking him in until the summer of 2032, but history suggests he won’t have the chance to see it through.
The Blues have gone through five managers since changing ownership in 2022. Thomas Tuchel was sacked after only four months in charge and less than a year after winning the Champions League.
As a result, Tuchel reportedly received a severance package of £13 million before Graham Potter was appointed as his successor.
The former Brighton manager was eventually sacked around seven months after signing a five-year contract, with Chelsea having to spend large sums of money to pay off his contract.
Frank Lampard took charge on an interim basis for two months until Mauricio Pochettino took over. He agreed a two-year contract with the option of an additional year, but was released at the end of the first season, resulting in a payout worth around £10 million.
Maresca then got on the managerial conveyor and achieved success in his debut season, winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup.
However, it was not enough to prevent the player from being sacked after making harsh comments in a press conference after the game against Everton last month.
Chelsea did not explicitly sack the player, but only said they had “parted ways” with the Italian. As a result, they reportedly avoided paying Maresca nearly £14 million in severance pay.
Rosenior’s appointment is a big gamble for the Blues. Considering he is unproven at an elite level and has no experience winning trophies.
If he is released before the end of his long-term contract, which is likely based on the manager’s decisions so far, they will have to pay millions more to relieve him of his duties.
If they had appointed Rosenior in a shorter period of time, they would have eliminated the possibility of having to pay a large sum of money if the transfer did not go through.
However, the deal has already been signed and Chelsea will be wishing Rosenior all the best in order to avoid another big severance offer.
