Chelsea: No shortlist and no No 1 candidate to replace sacked Liam Rosenior - what's next at Stamford Bridge?
Liam Rosenior's time at Chelsea is over after less than four months; head coach had been given a six-year contract in January but lost seven of last eight games; Calum McFarlane has been appointed interim head coach until end of season
Thursday 23 April 2026 10:10, UK
Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol takes a look back at Chelsea's soap opera of a season so far, what led to Liam Rosenior's sacking and who could be next in charge for the Blues...
Liam Rosenior was sacked just six days after he was publicly backed by the most powerful man at Chelsea.
Co-owner Behdad Eghbali, who effectively runs the club, made the unusual decision to speak in public about Chelsea last Thursday at a sports business conference in Los Angeles.
"I think we are behind Liam," Eghbali said. "We think he can be successful long term."
Six days and two damaging defeats later, Rosenior lost his job.
Saturday's game against Manchester United was crucial for Chelsea's Champions League hopes and there was also an anti-ownership demonstration planned by fans before kick-off.
Sources close to Chelsea insisted that Eghbali hadn't spoken in LA as a pre-emptive measure before the demonstration - the conference appearance had been arranged months ago.
Manner of Brighton defeat was final straw for Rosenior
On Friday, Chelsea attempted to change the mood around the club by announcing that Moises Caicedo had signed a new contract. In effect, the Ecuador international - whose original deal was due to expire in 2032 - had only extended by a year to to 2033 and received a pay rise for some underwhelming performances this season.
On the same day, an exclusive interview with Cole Palmer appeared, which had been granted to The Guardian. Again, the headlines appeared to be positive for Chelsea. Palmer wanted to stay at the club, seemingly dismissing reports that he wanted to move to United. He also spoke about Rosenior, in effect saying he was a good manager who needed a proper pre-season.
Palmer doesn't usually say much, so perhaps it's unfair to point out that he could have been more forthright when it came to pledging his loyalty to Chelsea and backing his manager.
Eghbali was not at Stamford Bridge for the United game. The defeat was a big blow to Chelsea's Champions League hopes and to make things worse, two late goals on Sunday, by Liverpool and Aston Villa, made it almost mission impossible for Chelsea to finish in the top five.
Despite that serious setback, Chelsea were still willing to give Rosenior more time, but the shocking manner of the defeat at Brighton was the final straw.
Eghbali had flown in for the game and other senior Chelsea executives were there as well, including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart and recruitment director Joe Shields.
'Players stopped playing for Rosenior'
It was clear on Tuesday night that something had to change.
The players weren't playing for Rosenior, the fans continued to voice their displeasure towards the owners and for the first time there were sustained chants calling for Rosenior to leave.
A clearly shellshocked Rosenior turned on his players after the game in post-match interviews and that course of action rarely ends well for managers.
It is easy to say a manager has lost the dressing room when results are bad, but it was obvious from watching how Chelsea performed on Tuesday that some of the players no longer believed in what Rosenior was trying to get them to do. Some, such as Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez, were known to be closer to Enzo Maresca than Rosenior.
Chelsea's sporting leadership team discussed what needed to be done on Wednesday while the players were having a day off. Could they do anything to shore up Rosenior's position, or would Chelsea have to make a change?
The decision was made that Rosenior had to go and ultimately Eghbali was the driving force behind the final call.
One key consideration when deciding to sack a manager during a season is who is going to take over. It was obvious that Chelsea would need an interim in charge for the next few weeks before making a permanent appointment in the summer.
The only problem is there weren't too many candidates they were willing to consider, so they ended up going back to Calum McFarlane. The 40-year-old was in charge for two games after Maresca left at the start of the year - a draw at Manchester City and a defeat at Fulham.
Bringing in a former player would have been more popular with Chelsea fans and could have had a more galvanising effect, but again the decision was made to appoint someone from within the current structure. Legendary former players such as John Terry were not considered.
The big question is will the controversial structure that has been put in place - including five sporting directors - remain in place?
Chelsea's statement announcing Rosenior's departure says they will reflect before making a new appointment, but the big question is will the controversial structure that has been put in place - including five sporting directors - remain in place?
There is unlikely to be major surgery performed at the club at the football leadership group level in the summer, but nothing ever stays the same at Chelsea for too long.
Chelsea to take time over permanent appointment
When it comes to making a permanent appointment, Chelsea are going to take their time. There is no shortlist and there is no No 1 candidate at the moment.
They are obviously going to be linked with a lot of names and many agents will be in touch. In order to not make the mistakes of the past, they are likely to target a manager with proven Premier League experience and/or who has a pedigree of success at a high level.
Managers such as Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Xabi Alonso are available this summer. Marco Silva could also leave Fulham next month, while Cesc Fabregas, who is currently at Como, would be a popular appointment, although he is someone who could end up at Arsenal one day in the future.
In the past, Chelsea have held talks and interviewed a long list of high-profile managers, including Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Frank and Roberto De Zerbi.
The new manager will almost certainly not have Champions League football and that could affect the future of players at the club, especially Fernandez, who could be sold if Chelsea receive an offer of more than £100m.
Chelsea will also target signing more experienced players this summer in what is being described as a "tweak" rather than a wholesale change of strategy.
'Mistakes made on and off the field'
Meanwhile, Chelsea's financial losses have been well documented and they could take a hit of at least £80m from not playing in the Champions League next season. It will also make it even harder for them to secure an elusive, lucrative front-of-shirt sponsor.
Although Chelsea's latest accounts showed a loss of £262m, they expect losses to fall in the next set of figures, thanks to playing in the Champions League this season and winning the FIFA Club World Cup last summer.
Chelsea are used to being at the centre of a storm and this season has ended up being a soap opera - who could forget the infamous huddle? The mole leaking team news? Fernandez openly flirting with Real Madrid? Marc Cucurella lamenting the departure of Maresca and questioning the way the club was being run? Fernandez not being allowed to play in a crucial game against Manchester City?
Your most in-form centre-back - Axel Disasi - playing for West Ham on loan after he was frozen out at Chelsea? The much-derided Nicolas Jackson picking up trophies at Bayern Munich while his replacement - Liam Delap - scored one league goal all season?
And Cucurella's barber also deserves an honourable mention for apparently leaking the team news on social media before the Brighton game.
It's fair to say many mistakes have been made on and off the pitch, but ultimately Chelsea's season was derailed when Maresca felt so undermined that he walked out just before the turn of the year.
Much has been said and written about what's gone wrong at Chelsea. Much of the criticism is justified, but it should not be forgotten that nine of the players who played in the abject defeat at Brighton also played in the 3-0 victory over Barcelona five months ago. Sometimes the manager really is the problem - as well as everything else.
A break clause means Chelsea will not have to pay up the full six years remaining on Rosenior's contract. He is due a seven-figure sum which is seen as a fair settlement for both sides. It should also not be forgotten that Rosenior is in good company when it comes to managers who have been sacked by Chelsea.
Some big names have been shown the door at Stamford Bridge, including Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and Roberto Di Matteo - and the last two went after having won the European Cup.
