Chelsea has a backroom shuffle once again following the departure of Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day. The side has appointed Liam Rosenior as its new manager, but he has not been able to bring his entire staff from Strasbourg with him.
Chelsea Elevates Interim Coach Following Strong Showing
Maresca’s exit has led to his entire staff, including assistants and goalkeeper coaches, leaving Chelsea. The only senior staff member remaining from the Italian reign is Bernardo Cueva, who keeps his spot as the set-piece coach following his appointment from Brentford.
The Premier League side has announced that Ben Roberts, who joined from Brighton & Hove Albion along with Graham Potter in 2022, is back in a coaching role at the club after spending the last few months as the head of global goalkeeping. He is the goalkeeper coach once again and will be working closely with Robert Sanchez, a player he knows well, as well as Filip Jorgensen and USMNT star Gabriel Slonina.
Rosenior has managed to bring just two of his key staff members from the Ligue 1 side this month. Kalifa Cisse and Justin Walker have joined him at Stamford Bridge and will be working as his assistant coaches.
Another key addition from the French side is Ben Warner, who worked as a first-team analyst and will be continuing in the same capacity at the London side.
The most significant addition is Chelsea U21 coach Calum McFarlane, who became a household name among Blues worldwide in 2026. He took charge of the first team against Manchester City and Fulham following Maresca’s exit, and he has earned a promotion after doing well against Pep Guardiola.
Though Rosenior was appointed hours before the Fulham game in the Premier League, his first game in charge will be against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup this weekend. Explaining the decision to skip the clash at Craven Cottage, the Englishman said (per ESPN):
“Travel, but mainly the fact that Calum [McFarlane] did such an incredible job against Manchester City. I thought the performance of the players, certainly in the second half, the energy, the intensity, the quality that they played with [was so good]. Not just Calum, but Harry [Hudson] as well, they have supported the lads in a really difficult moment in a really good way. I flew in from Strasbourg yesterday morning, so it is a difficult time frame for me to get in the tactical work I want to get into to get the lads to give them the best possible chance to win.”
Rosenior was at the stadium, sitting in the stands along with co-owner Behdad Eghbali, as the Blues lost 2-1 to their derby rivals.
