- Crystal Palace have Liam Rosenior on shortlist
- English coach sacked by Chelsea
- What future holds for former Blues boss
Crystal Palace are unlikely to persuade sacked Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior to make a quick return to management. The English coach was dismissed by the Blues just last week after three turbulent months.
Rosenior was a highly-admired young tactician when arrived at Stamford Bridge in January as Enzo Maresca’s replacement. He’d earned praise for his worth at Strasbourg, guiding the French side into the UEFA Conference League.
The 41-year-old was offered the Chelsea job and couldn’t turn it down. But his time in west London was short and certainly not sweet.
Rosenior Set For Break
After a promising start, which saw Rosenior score six of his first seven games, his side nosedived. Seven defeats in eight games saw BlueCo pull the plug just three and a half months into a contract lasting until 2032.
Rosenior wore a face of desperation when Chelsea were defeated 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion. It was a humiliating sacking that has ruined his reputation in coaching.
Palace, though, were admirers of the Englishman before that tenure, and recent reports suggest the South Londoners still considered him a viable Oliver Glasner successor. He’s one of many candidates the club have in mind to replace the outgoing Austrian.
Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has cast doubts over the former Hull City manager taking over at Selhurst Park. He said:
“Obviously it all depends on how Rosenior feels, I’m sure he’s pretty down, after leaving Chelsea. It was a pretty chastening experience for him, he’s come in for a lot of flack on and off the pitch for the way he’s been talking and everything else which has been unfair.”
O’Rourke added:
“Rosenior, at the moment, I believe he feels he needs to take a break, but I’m sure he’s confident in his abilities that he can rebuild after leaving Chelsea. He did a good job at Strasbourg and previously at Hull, but he’ll take a bit of time out for now to recharge the batteries and then look to the future.”
A potential Rosenior appointment would have been divisive, given how his stint in charge of Chelsea panned out. Had he not made that move and stayed with Strasbourg, he’d have been a much more desired Glasner successor.
Palace Must Show Ambition
It appears that Andoni Iraola is Palace’s top choice to replace Glasner and that is probably the most ambitious option of all the names in the frame. The problem is that the departing Bournemouth boss has landed on Chelsea’s managerial shortlist to replace Rosenior.
If Iraola is unattainable, there are other interesting options, such as Frank Lampard, who has just overseen Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League. He can’t be ruled out despite clearly loving life with the Sky Blues who also won the EFL Championship.
Ruben Amorim, for all his Manchester United woes, was arguably viewed in a similar light to Xabi Alonso when it came to his potential in the dugout. His spell at Sporting CP saw him drag them out of a gloomy period and dominate Portuguese football.
The obvious solution is Thomas Frank, who, much like Rosenior, will be keen to rebuild his reputation. The Dane’s damning Tottenham Hotspur reign would need to be put aside, but nobody can ignore his success at Brentford.
