Who could replace Liam Rosenior in the Chelsea dugout next season?

[p][b][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2bfaCNgc79BjPYtJyfGc6m?si=f3FBlWFuS4m76eAu_lvFsQ&nd=1&dlsi=8a91438f28f241b4"]You can now listen to this article in full via Spotify[/a].[/b][/p][p]The 41-year-old had been parachuted in from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/strasbourg/nP6UzIU1/"]Strasbourg[/a] after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maresca-enzo/nJsvYDRG/"]Enzo Maresca[/a] parted ways with the club, despite having no managerial experience at what could be termed an elite club.[/p][h2]Fifth loss without scoring[/h2][p]Things actually began wonderfully well as the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Blues[/a] won six of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rosenior-liam/4fMAHvLm/"]Rosenior[/a]'s first seven games in charge, but then things began to unravel at breakneck speed.[/p][p]Losing after such a poor performance was always going to have huge ramifications for the man in the dugout.[/p][image alt="Chelsea's recent results" id="8aea4121-bc18-4127-b19a-af835568011c" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="f98a1747-80da-4d82-9dff-411b3ee6f1c3" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Not least because it was a fifth Premier League defeat in a row without scoring - the first time that's happened since 1912 - and a seventh defeat in eight games, which included the 8-2 on aggregate humbling by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a] in the Champions League.[/p][p]Indeed, the only win in those eight matches came against lowly [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/port-vale/U3lM3y4e/"]Port Vale[/a] in the FA Cup.[/p][h2]Eight managers in three years but only 49 in club history[/h2][p]Chelsea's owners, Clearlake Capital/BlueCo, who aren't the most popular set of business people in West London at present, clearly felt that there was no option other than to relieve Rosenior of his duties, but that now puts the club in the embarrassing position of having to find yet another first-team head coach.[/p][p]To give some perspective, any new man in charge from the start of the 2026/27 season would be the eighth in the role since 2023. [/p][embed guid="1b96bd56-4736-4eb7-aa31-b3cc5aed034f" url="https://x.com/ChelseaFC/status/2046987880157860350" social-type="twitter" /][p]Under this ownership, the Blues have appointed Graham Potter, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saltor-bruno/AVH5eENi/"]Bruno Saltor[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lampard-frank/GWpe9c0q/"]Frank Lampard[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pochettino-mauricio/zuJM7XDg/"]Mauricio Pochettino[/a], Calum McFarlane, Rosenior, and now McFarlane again until the end of the current campaign.[/p][p]Given that the Stamford Bridge outfit have only had 49 managers (permanent, temporary or caretaker) in their entire history, to have virtually a fifth of those in the last three years alone speaks volumes.[/p][h2]Smart money on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fabregas-cesc/YXIDwoe5/"]Fabregas[/a][/h2][p]The question now is who on earth would want to chance their arm under the current administration, for whom continuity doesn't seem to be in the vocabulary?[/p][p]Smart money would appear to be on fan favourite Cesc Fabregas returning.[/p][embed guid="2707e419-8842-4778-9dff-a5a909ed324d" url="https://x.com/Como_1907/status/1979954017938616750" social-type="twitter" /][p]Younger than Rosenior by three years, he has the necessary gravitas that would immediately earn him respect in the dressing room, but given how well he's doing at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/como/ttyLthOA/"]Como[/a] presently, there are cogent reasons why he would want to remain with the Serie A outfit.[/p][p]Not least because they've given him his big break in first-team management, and he's now on the cusp of qualifying the club to its first-ever European campaign.[/p][p]With 16 wins this season in 33 games (48.5% win percentage), only Max Allegri, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chivu-christian/YJcUe5Fn/"]Cristian Chivu[/a], Gian Piero Gasperini and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/conte-antonio/23vSAc12/"]Antonio Conte[/a] have won more matches in Serie A in 2025/26.[/p][h2]Is Filipe Luis the right fit?[/h2][p]Another ex-Blues ace, and one who is in a better position to be approached given that he's currently out of work, is Filipe Luis.[/p][p]The former left-back was sacked by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/flamengo-rj/WjxY29qB/"]Flamengo[/a], despite winning 23 of his 38 games in the Brazilian Serie A season, drawing 10 and losing just five.[/p][embed guid="2d0200fb-f240-4ac0-b233-9947142e6afe" url="https://x.com/ChelseaFC/status/762955297614917632" social-type="twitter" /][p]An exceptional win percentage of 60.5% came as a result of scoring 78 goals in those matches and conceding just 27, but it's doubtful whether the Brazilian could replicate that kind of dominance in West London.[/p][p]Other names have been mentioned in passing, including Frank Lampard, Jose Mourinho and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/glasner-oliver/CznGurCt/"]Oliver Glasner[/a]; however, none could really be considered as realistic.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/iraola-andoni/xpALVpwq/"]Iraola[/a] could be a more realistic capture[/h2][p]Lampard has just brought [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/coventry/GOvB22xg/"]Coventry[/a] back into the big time after a quarter of a century and isn't likely to jump ship at the first possible opportunity.[/p][p]Despite always retaining the affection of the Chelsea fan base, it's doubtful that Mourinho could work under such a meddling set of owners, and Glasner has long been touted as the permanent replacement for Ruben Amorin at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a].[/p][embed guid="1c4a50d3-fbed-430f-b7ea-cd84d05519d4" url="https://x.com/premierleague/status/2044049973919039523" social-type="twitter" /][p]Perhaps the only other viable candidate at this point is outgoing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bournemouth/OtpNdwrc/"]Bournemouth[/a] manager, Andoni Iraola.[/p][p]His Cherries side are unbeaten in their matches against Chelsea and Manchester United this season, and have also beaten both [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a]. Not to mention Iraoloa's brand of football is very pleasing on the eye.[/p][h2]Decisions, decisions...[/h2][p]Currently seventh, Bournemouth have a genuine chance of European football next season, too.[/p][p]Though Iraola's win percentage of 32.4% doesn't make for great reading, his side have won 11 and drawn 16 of their 34 Premier League games to date in 2025/26.[/p][image alt="Bournemouth's current form under Andoni Iraola" id="e6d23cac-206f-4808-ae2e-d5bf90b1bbdd" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="310f401f-af03-4961-9ca4-01286449f504" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]A Chelsea statement suggested that the hierarchy will have a "period of reflection" before starting the process to appoint a new candidate.[/p][p]If the Blues don't make it into Europe, that could narrow down their options even further, not to mention that many of their big-name players will likely be clamouring for the exit door.[/p][p]What a mess...[/p][image alt="Jason Pettigrove" id="b83d4b89-0f5d-4b61-b19e-8c2f480c799c" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="47c762fb-cdee-4825-92f2-ec74d2057e68" original-width="1200" original-height="380" /]