Liam Rosenior’s position as Chelsea head coach is under threat with the club’s BlueCo owners already weighing up a change of strategy.
Telegraph Sport understands that Chelsea are ready to permanently replace Rosenior with a head coach who has experience at the highest level, should the 41-year-old leave his post.
But that might be easier said than done, with sources questioning which top-class manager would take the Chelsea job in the current circumstances.
After a run of five successive Premier League defeats without scoring, Rosenior is in danger of losing his job fewer than six months into the 6½-year contract he was handed by Chelsea.
Talks over whether Rosenior would remain in charge for Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United were held at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Wednesday, following Tuesday night’s dismal defeat by Brighton.
Behdad Eghbali, the co-owner, was at the Amex Stadium to witness the shocking performance against Brighton first hand and he will remain in the country for the FA Cup date at Wembley.
Sacking Rosenior now would probably require Chelsea to finish the season with an interim head coach, but waiting until the summer will only delay what now seems inevitable.
Calum McFarlane, who Chelsea made part of Rosenior’s staff, took charge of two games after the departure of Enzo Maresca, earning a draw against Manchester City but losing to Fulham.
Chelsea’s BlueCo owners face the prospect of looking for their fifth full-time head coach since taking over the club and Telegraph Sport understands there have been discussions about a change of direction.
Eghbali has already hinted at a change of approach in the transfer market this summer and that possibility extends to Chelsea’s head coach situation.
BlueCo’s last two appointments, Rosenior and Maresca, had never managed in the Premier League or at a big club before being appointed by Chelsea, while Graham Potter had never taken charge of a Champions League game.
There is recognition that Chelsea cannot bring in another coaching team with no top-level experience and the search for Rosenior’s successor is expected to centre around finding a candidate who has proved they could cope with the demands of a big club and the Premier League.
Xabi Alonso, former Real Madrid manager, is out of work, while Andoni Iraola has announced he will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season and has proved himself in the Premier League. Former Chelsea player Cesc Fabregas is riding high with Como in Serie A.
But sources believe Chelsea’s collaborative approach, together with the increasing possibility of not qualifying for the Champions League, will make BlueCo’s search for their perfect man difficult.
“Which top manager is going to want the Chelsea job under the current circumstances?” one source said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
Chelsea had planned to stand by Rosenior even if the club failed to qualify for the Champions League, but an end-of-season implosion has persuaded them to consider their options.
Other than placing himself in danger with a dreadful set of results, Rosenior made his position almost untenable by publicly attacking the Chelsea players.
While his complaints were in many ways justified, making them public was viewed as naive, with one dressing-room source simply saying: “That was not a good move.”
Turning on his players after the defeat by Brighton, Rosenior said: “It was unacceptable in every aspect of the game. Unacceptable in attitude. I keep coming out and defending the players, but that’s indefensible, that performance tonight. The manner of the goals we conceded, the amount of duels we lost, the lack of intensity in the team.”
Rosenior’s outburst had echoes of José Mourinho and Frank Lampard publicly attacking the Chelsea players before losing their jobs. Mourinho said he felt “betrayed” by his players following a defeat by Leicester City in 2015, while Lampard questioned his team’s desire after also losing to Leicester in 2021.
A source told Telegraph Sport: “Attacking the players in public never ends well, however valid some of the points might be. It’s very difficult to come back from.”