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There is pressure on Chelsea<\/a> to get this appointment right, with some supporters chanting the name of former owner Roman Abramovich during Sunday’s draw at Manchester City<\/a> and a fringe group of fans planning a protest against the owners before the next home Premier League match against Brentford<\/a>.<\/p>\n It is against that backdrop they have turned to a man who is well known to key figures at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n Rosenior first met Chelsea<\/a>‘s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart more than 15 years ago while playing for Brighton<\/a>. <\/p>\n And Sam Jewell – Chelsea<\/a>‘s director of global recruitment – worked closely with Rosenior when he began coaching Brighton<\/a> Under-23s after retiring. <\/p>\n Rosenior also knew Stewart during his time as an analyst at Hull, where he played and later managed.<\/p>\n Last summer, during the Club World Cup, he travelled to the United States with Strasbourg president Marc Keller to meet Chelsea<\/a>‘s leadership, and owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly have made regular visits to the French club.<\/p>\n He has always been seen as a potential successor to Maresca, but a mid-season change was not planned. Chelsea<\/a> hoped Rosenior could continue to build experience at Strasbourg, but Maresca’s comments at the end of last year forced the owners into a change.<\/p>\n They see their new man, who favours a similar possession-based style, as the most seamless option.<\/p>\n Sources close to Rosenior also believe he has a more empathetic tone of communication – drawing on lessons from his mother Karen, who is a social worker.<\/p>\n He will face scrutiny over his perceived rawness, but Chelsea<\/a> will point to the fact he has more experience than Maresca when the Italian was appointed in 2024.<\/p>\n Maresca had won the Championship, of course, while Rosenior has yet to lift a trophy – but the incoming coach has managed 153 senior games at Hull and Strasbourg compared with his predecessor’s 67. Maresca was also Pep Guardiola’s assistant during Manchester City<\/a>‘s Treble-winning season of 2022-23.<\/p>\n There is also the issue of Rosenior coming to Chelsea<\/a> on a bad run of form, having won none of his past five Ligue 1 matches, just two in 10, and having dropped 13 points from winning positions this season.<\/p>\n French football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I really believe the owners put him in the Strasbourg job to get him ready for the Chelsea<\/a> job one day.<\/p>\n “I think if he showed he could be capable at Strasbourg, which is taking a team which was almost going down into Europe – to taking it close to Champions League qualification, which is what he did last season.<\/p>\n “I think that showed his potential. It showed his development, showed his ability to improve the team and players individually.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n