Liam Rosenior

Liam Rosenior

Liam James Rosenior (born 9 July 1984) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Chelsea.

As a player, he usually played as a right-back, although he occasionally was moved to left-back and sometimes deployed as a right-winger. During his career, Rosenior played for Bristol City, Fulham, Torquay United, Reading, Ipswich Town, Hull City, and Brighton & Hove Albion. He is a former England U20 and England U21 international with a combined total of 11 caps and one goal.

Rosenior was interim manager at Derby County in 2022 and managed his former club Hull from November 2022 to May 2024. In July 2024, he was named as head coach of Strasbourg in Ligue 1. On 6 January 2026, Rosenior was appointed as the head coach of Chelsea on a six-and-a-half-year deal.

Club career

Bristol City

Born in Wandsworth in London, Rosenior started his career with Bristol City as a midfielder. He made his debut in the Football League Second Division on 20 April 2002, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute for Joe Burnell and seconds later assisting the equaliser for Aaron Brown in a 1–1 home draw with Stoke City.

On 28 December 2002, Rosenior scored his first goal in a 4–1 win away to Stockport County, having earlier assisted Danny Coles. He scored the second goal in a 2–0 victory for Bristol City against Carlisle United in the 2003 Football League Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium. In the first round of Bristol City's cup run they defeated Queens Park Rangers on penalties, and Rosenior scored the winning penalty in the shootout.

Fulham

On 12 November 2003, Rosenior joined Premier League club Fulham for a £55,000 fee. In 2004 he was loaned to Torquay United of the Football League Third Division, managed by his father Leroy Rosenior.

Rosenior made his debut for Fulham on 22 September 2004 in a League Cup game away to Boston United, being sent off in the last minute of a 4–1 win for diving in the hope of winning a penalty. He made his league debut for Fulham on 13 December in a 1–1 home draw with Manchester United, earning the Sky Sports Man of the Match award. On 7 May 2005, his season ended with another dismissal in a 3–1 win at Blackburn Rovers for pushing Robbie Savage in response to the Welshman's foul on Luís Boa Morte.

Rosenior scored once for Fulham, in a League Cup tie against Lincoln City at Craven Cottage on 21 September 2005, netting in extra time of a 5–4 win. He signed a four-year extension to his Fulham contract in July 2006.

Reading

Rosenior joined fellow Premier League team Reading on 31 August 2007 for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, with Seol Ki-Hyeon going the other way. His debut for Reading came in a 2–1 defeat to Sunderland on 15 September, and he scored his first goal for Reading in a 7–4 defeat to Portsmouth two weeks later, although it was initially awarded to Stephen Hunt.

On 2 September 2009, Rosenior joined Championship club Ipswich Town on loan for the remainder of 2009–10 season, under manager Roy Keane. He scored once in 31 games for the club, equalising in a 2–1 loss at Barnsley on 3 October.

Hull City

Rosenior (right) playing for Hull City alongside Jack Grealish of Aston Villa in 2014

Rosenior had a trial spell at Bristol City in July 2010, following the expiry of his contract at Reading. On 29 October 2010, Rosenior joined Hull City on a short-term agreement until 1 January 2011. He made his debut the following day in the away match at Barnsley. He signed a 2+1⁄2-year deal with Hull on 21 December 2010. Saying "I'm delighted, It's something that we kind of half agreed when I first came here, but it relied on the takeover being completed for me to stay."

On 22 March 2014, Rosenior scored his only goal for Hull City when heading the rebound in from a Nikica Jelavić penalty that was saved by West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster. On 17 May 2014, he started in the 2014 FA Cup final against Arsenal. On 28 May 2015, Hull City released Rosenior and five other players who were out of contract at the end of the 2014–15 season.

Brighton & Hove Albion

On 23 June 2015, Rosenior signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on a three-year deal following his release from Hull City. He retired from his playing career on 30 July 2018.

International career

Liam Rosenior

Rosenior was born in England, and is of Sierra Leonean descent through his father, Leroy Rosenior, who was an international footballer for Sierra Leone. Rosenior was called up to the England U21 squad in March 2005, and made his debut in a 2–2 draw with Germany U21 on 25 March 2005, closely followed by a second cap in a 2–0 win over Azerbaijan U21 on 29 March 2005. His performances earned him a call up to the England U20 squad for the Toulon Tournament in June 2005, where he played three times and scored one goal.

However, it would be over a year and a half before he would add to his England U21 caps, with the next one coming against Netherlands U21 on 14 November 2006. Rosenior made it into the squad for the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, but only made one appearance, as a substitute in the semi-final against the Netherlands. He took part in the penalty shoot-out, scoring his penalty but England lost 13–12. Due to his age, this would prove to be his seventh and last appearance for the England U21 team.

Coaching career

Early career

Following his retirement from playing, Rosenior remained at Brighton, taking up the position of assistant coach with Brighton's under-23 team, which he combined with appearing as a pundit on Sky Sports.

On 10 July 2019, Rosenior was appointed as specialist first team coach to Phillip Cocu at Derby County. He was appointed assistant manager of the club on 15 January 2021 following the appointment of Wayne Rooney as manager.

Following Rooney's resignation on 24 June 2022, Rosenior took over as interim manager. He was relieved of his duties as manager on 21 September 2022 while still employed by the club as Derby sought a permanent manager. Following the appointment of Paul Warne, Rosenior left the club.

Hull City

On 3 November 2022, Rosenior was appointed head coach at Hull City on a two-and-a-half-year deal, returning to the club where he made 161 appearances between 2010 and 2015.

On 17 December 2023, Hull City announced that Rosenior had signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2026.

In April 2024, Rosenior suffered online racist abuse after being nominated for the EFL Championship Manager of the Season award.

On 7 May 2024, after a seventh-place finish for Hull City caused the team to narrowly miss out on the play-offs, Rosenior was dismissed. Hull City owner, Acun Ilicali said that Rosenior had been sacked over a difference on football philosophy between the two with Ilicali wanting attacking football and Rosenior unable to offer that as a manager.

Strasbourg

On 25 July 2024, Rosenior was appointed as the new head coach of Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, joining the BlueCo club on a three-year deal. He replaced Patrick Vieira, who had left by mutual consent after finishing 13th. Rosenior's debut on 18 August saw him field the French top flight's first starting XI in which all outfield players were under 23, in a 1–1 draw at Montpellier.

On 25 April 2025, Rosenior extended his contract with Strasbourg for three years, until June 2028, after reportedly turning down multiple approaches from Premier League clubs. He finished his first season in France in 7th place, qualifying for the UEFA Conference League.

Chelsea

On 6 January 2026, Rosenior was appointed as the new head coach of Chelsea on a six-and-a-half-year deal. He started working with the squad after their league match against Fulham on 7 January. In his first match in charge, he led Chelsea to a 5–1 away win over Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup. This made him the first Chelsea manager to win their opening match in charge since Antonio Conte in 2016.

Personal life

Liam Rosenior

Rosenior is married to Erika Quinones. The couple have four children together.

He is the son of former manager and player Leroy Rosenior. From an early age, Rosenior displayed an obsession with the tactical side of the game. At the age of nine, he reportedly read the FA Coaching Book of Soccer Tactics and Skills by Charles Hughes. He also maintained a childhood "tactical ritual" with his father where they would spend Friday nights eating fish and chips while analyzing the following day's match lineups and set-piece routines. His father later recalled that as a toddler, Liam would often "pretend to sleep" on the sofa when his father's footballing friends visited so that he could listen to their tactical discussions rather than being sent to bed.

In June 2020, Rosenior wrote an open letter to Donald Trump during his first term as US president. In the letter, Rosenior criticised Trump's handling of the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.

Career statistics

Liam Rosenior

<table><thead><tr><th>Club</th><th>Season</th><th>League</th><th>FA Cup</th><th>League Cup</th><th>Other</th><th>Total</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Division</td><td>Apps</td><td>Goals</td><td>Apps</td><td>Goals</td><td>Apps</td><td>Goals</td><td>Apps</td><td>Goals</td><td>Apps</td><td>Goals</td></tr><tr><td>Bristol City</td><td>2001–02</td><td>Second Division</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2002–03</td><td>Second Division</td><td>22</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>27</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>23</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>28</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>Fulham</td><td>2003–04</td><td>Premier League</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2004–05</td><td>Premier League</td><td>17</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>23</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2005–06</td><td>Premier League</td><td>24</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>—</td><td>27</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>2006–07</td><td>Premier League</td><td>38</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>42</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2007–08</td><td>Premier League</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>0</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>79</td><td>0</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>5</td><td>1</td><td>—</td><td>92</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Torquay United (loan)</td><td>2003–04</td><td>Third Division</td><td>10</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>10</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Reading</td><td>2007–08</td><td>Premier League</td><td>17</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>19</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2008–09</td><td>Championship</td><td>42</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>44</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2009–10</td><td>Championship</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>6</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>64</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>69</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Ipswich Town (loan)</td><td>2009–10</td><td>Championship</td><td>29</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>31</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Hull City</td><td>2010–11</td><td>Championship</td><td>26</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>26</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2011–12</td><td>Championship</td><td>44</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>44</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2012–13</td><td>Championship</td><td>32</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>36</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2013–14</td><td>Premier League</td><td>29</td><td>1</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>37</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>2014–15</td><td>Premier League</td><td>13</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>18</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>144</td><td>1</td><td>8</td><td>0</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>161</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Brighton & Hove Albion</td><td>2015–16</td><td>Championship</td><td>31</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>35</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2016–17</td><td>Championship</td><td>10</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>10</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2017–18</td><td>Premier League</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>—</td><td>6</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>44</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>4</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>51</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Brighton & Hove Albion U21/U23</td><td>2016–17</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2017–18</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Career total</td><td>393</td><td>4</td><td>22</td><td>0</td><td>15</td><td>1</td><td>14</td><td>1</td><td>444</td><td>6</td></tr></tbody></table>

Managerial statistics

Liam Rosenior

Team	From	To	Record	Ref.
P	W	D	L	Win %
Derby County (interim)	24 June 2022	22 September 2022	12	7	2	3	058.3
Hull City	3 November 2022	7 May 2024	78	27	28	23	034.6
Strasbourg	25 July 2024	6 January 2026	63	31	15	17	049.2
Chelsea	8 January 2026	Present	19	10	2	7	052.6
Total	172	75	47	50	043.6

Honours

Player

• Football League Trophy: 2002–03

• FA Cup runner-up: 2013–14