BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA ON BRINK OF CHELSEA SACK AS EMERGENCY NEW YEAR TALKS BEGIN
Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca is on the verge of leaving following a total breakdown in relations. Liam Rosenior is the shock favourite.
If Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea, possibly around New Year’s Day, Liam Rosenior is an early favourite to take over.
The Chelsea board is meeting later today because there's doubt about Maresca’s future. They haven’t won in three games, and the relationship between the board and manager has gotten worse.
Maresca’s problems with Chelsea’s leaders became obvious in December when he said that after a loss to Everton, he had “the worst week since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us.”
He didn't explain further but criticised the Chelsea team's lack of experience in the weeks that followed. He also missed his post-match press conference midweek, sending assistant coach Willy Caballero to answer questions. The crowd booed after the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth this week.
Now, Maresca is expected to leave soon, leaving Chelsea with a tough choice for a replacement.
The i Paper says that Rosenior, who manages Strasbourg (another club owned by BlueCo), is seen as a possible long-term coach for Chelsea. These plans might move forward if Maresca departs.
Rosenior, previously Hull City's manager, has led Strasbourg to seventh place in the French league and secured European qualification for the first time in 20 years. Chelsea's leaders are impressed by his focus on developing young players and his dedicated approach.
He's considered a promising English coach, but it would be a big jump for the 41-year-old.
Rosenior is impressive and speaks well. He's managed two English teams in the lower leagues and was praised for improving Derby after their money problems. He also brought Hull City close to the playoffs before being fired by owner Acun Ilicali, a move seen as unfair by some.
It’s not clear if Rosenior is famous enough to please Chelsea's fans, who are getting impatient. Though their league form has been inconsistent—Chelsea is fifth in the Premier League—they’ve performed well in Europe, winning the Conference League and Club World Cup in the summer. Maresca also got them into the Champions League in his first full season.
However, Chelsea's strategy of buying and selling young players won't change, and the manager must work within these rules.
He was surprisingly considered for the Manchester City job if Pep Guardiola left in the summer. Yet, with Guardiola seeming energised by catching up to Arsenal, that opportunity seems unlikely anytime soon.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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