‘Next Chelsea manager’ on rival radar as Blues worry over Mariska’s succession plan

Chelsea have their “next manager” after Enzo Maresca is already in sight, but there is some concern over whether he can take the job before a rival.

Mariska has been Chelsea Boss from the start of the 2024/25 season. He guided the Blues to a fourth-place finish in his first campaign and they are currently third.

Chelsea fans expect a lot, so there have already been times when calls have been made for his head, but given current form he seems largely safe.

In any case, the London club has a successor in mind. According to insider Graeme Bailey, Liam Rosenaire-in-charge is their preferred choice at Bloc Groupe Club Strasbourg, but he could already take another Premier League job.

Bailey said Chelsea Chronicle: “The Championship workload is huge, and it’s not really a problem for Bloc, but Chelsea, I think in an ideal world they’d like Rosnier to be the next Chelsea manager.

“Not for three or four years’ time, but then, do they allow him to go. I think within the club they are discussing they allow him to go to Fulham, if those jobs become available.

“Then it’s a natural progression for Chelsea anyway so basically more and more jobs are going to come in. So, yes, it’s an interesting thing for them to enter into.”

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Of course there’s a risk if Rosener goes to one of the clubs he starts to have success with and doesn’t leave, where in Strasbourg, the natural progression would be a move to Chelsea at some point.

It all depends on what success Mariska can find, though, as if he continues to be more successful than Rosnier, the former Hillman has no reason to replace him.

Although the work Rosenaire is currently doing in Strasbourg is very good. In his first season in charge, the Ligue 1 club finished seventh, and they are currently fourth in the league.

That they are just five points behind a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain squad shows what Rosnaier is up to, and therefore how he can do at Chelsea against the might of some of England’s Big Six sides.

Whether or not he takes the job between Strasbourg and Chelsea – and ends up at Stamford Bridge at all – remains to be seen.

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