Liam Rosenior says he will be his own man at Chelsea and ignore the “noise” around his appointment as manager.
The 41-year-old signed a contract until 2032 on Tuesday following the departure of Enzo Maresca.
Holding his first news conference as Blues boss before taking charge of Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton, Rosenior said he felt the club’s potential was “limitless”.
It is a first job in the Premier League for the London-born former player, who managed Championship club Hull City between 2022 and 2024, before a two-year spell in France with Strasbourg.
“When I went in at Strasbourg I was a joke in the media and they said that my team would finish last,” said Rosenior.
“I was a nobody from England and we finished three points off the Champions League places. The noise is just noise.
“I am not promising it – but I believe strongly we can be very successful here.”
Rosenior achieved a seventh-placed finish with Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last season, securing European football.
The French side are part of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo multi-club ownership group that also controls Chelsea – but he rejected suggestions he has been hired to toe the line of his superiors.
“I don’t think it is possible to be in this job and not be your own man,” added Rosenior.
“I understand, I am not an alien and I know what is being said in the press, but there is no way you can be a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.”
Rosenior takes over a Chelsea team which is eighth in the Premier League after a five-match winless run, but still in three other cup competitions this season.
Italian Maresca left less than six months after he won the Fifa Club World Cup at the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge, departing amid internal tensions with the club’s hierarchy and ownership.
“At a club of this stature, the fans want success and they have every right to want success,” said Rosenior.
“To win over the fans, I have to win games of football, build a team that represents them. We are trying to build things in a different way.
“My job is to try to create a team where teams fear coming to Stamford Bridge.”
Rosenior will hope for a positive start to his tenure away to Championship opposition Charlton, before aiming to keep Chelsea on course for League Cup success when they host Arsenal in the first leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.
In a demanding first month at the helm, the Blues face nine games across four different competitions over the next 29 days.
“The pressure is there from day one and if I wasn’t willing to take on that pressure and privilege I wouldn’t be here,” added Rosenior.
“I am looking forward to it. I can’t wait for tomorrow night. The players and staff have been nothing but supportive and made me feel at home.
“If you are scared or fearful there is no point being a coach. I am going to work 24 hours a day. I am going to push them to try to be successful.
“I’ve said to the players, focus on winning the next game. That’s how we go on a run.
“The potential for this club is limitless, and I won’t limit limitlessness.”
