Liam Rosenior is as good a coach as Wayne Rooney has worked with and deserves the chance to be Chelsea manager – with the former England striker fondly remembering their time together at Derby County.
Strasbourg boss Rosenior is the leading candidate to become the new boss at Chelsea, who have the same owners as the French club.
The 41-year-old arrived in London on Sunday night to hold talks with Chelsea over replacing Enzo Maresca, with negotiations at advanced stage.
Englishman Rosenior, was Rooney’s assistant boss at Derby in 2021 and 2022, and he became the interim Rams boss in League One after the Manchester United legend’s departure.
He then managed Hull City before being sacked, despite just missing out on the Championship play-offs, moving to Strasbourg in 2024.
“He’s taken chances, and hopefully that pays off because I think Liam is as good a coach as I’ve ever worked with,” Rooney said on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show.
“His detail, how he approaches the day-to-day, he’s as good as I’ve worked with.”
Rooney has managed DC United, Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle since leaving Derby and now works in the media, including his BBC podcast.
“Liam was so important for me,” said Rooney. “He was incredible in his coaching ability. I was more of the manager and dealing with players and everything.
“So I learned a lot from him from that point of view and then I think he’s done a great job as a whole.”
Rooney said he has “no doubts” that Rosenior could do a good job for Chelsea.
Enzo Maresca left his role at the Blues after 18 months in charge, having fallen out with the club’s owners.
The last time Rosenior worked in the Premier League was as a player for Brighton in 2017.
As a right-back, he had a solid but unspectacular career as a player – also featuring in the top flight for Fulham, Reading and Hull.
Roughly half his career was spent in the EFL and that is where he started his coaching career.
After a spell as Brighton‘s under-23s coach, he spent three years at Derby – working with Phillip Cocu before Rooney.
“He’s also got a side which you don’t want to cross him as well,” said Rooney.
“That’s important as well. If he goes in there, he won’t disappoint. He’s been waiting for an opportunity like this.
“If you don’t take it now, then you’re never going to take it. And I think he’s done his apprenticeship, he’s done his work to try and get to that job.
“So he’ll have no doubts in his mind that he’s capable of doing that job. And hopefully, very soon, hopefully we hear that he is the manager, because for young English coaches I think it’s massive.
“We don’t really see English managers at big clubs. So he’d be leading the way for for us.”
The only English managers currently in the Premier League are Newcastle‘s Eddie Howe, Burnley‘s Scott Parker and Nottingham Forest‘s Sean Dyche.
