Liam Rosenior insists he will replace Enzo Maresca at Chelsea. Moving seamlessly from retirement into the dugout, Rosenior built experience at Brighton and Derby County before gaining momentum as a head coach with Hull City. His step into European football with Strasbourg has since marked him out as one of the promising young coaches of his generation, and now he is set to step up into his first Premier League managerial role.
Here, ESPN take a look back at his career from player to manager.
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Playing career and retirement
In July 2018, Rosenior ended his playing career at Brighton & Hove Albion after spells with Fulham (2003-2007) and Hull City (2010-2015). He played on the south coast between 2015-2018 before retiring from football whilst Brighton played in the Championship. Shortly after his retirement, he began his coaching career, taking up a role with Brighton's Under-23s.
The Derby days
In 2019, Rosenior joined Derby as a first-team coach before he became the assistant manager under Wayne Rooney in 2021. He took his first interim manager role with Derby in 2022.
The return to Hull City
In November 2022, Rosenior returned to a club where he had been a fan favourite -- Hull City. After taking over mid-season, he stabilized Hull's progress and guided them to a seventh-place Championship finish in 2023-24. Despite the progress, he was sacked after narrowly missing out on the playoffs.
Moving to France
In July of 2024, Rosenior was appointed head coach of Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, succeeding Patrick Vieira. In his first season he made bold tactical choices, including fielding Ligue 1's youngest starting XI in his debut.
The English coach led Strasbourg to seventh place in Ligue 1 and UEFA Conference League qualification in his first season, a major achievement for the club. He extended his contract until 2028, but now faces huge interest to move back to the Premier League with Chelsea and could embark on a journey in the Champions League for the first time.
Rosenior: I have agreed with Chelsea
Rosenior confirmed that he will become Chelsea's new boss.
"I haven't signed yet," he said on Monday Jan. 6. "I have agreed verbally with Chelsea.
"It's really important, this is different to anything anyone has ever done -- nobody has made a statement before they have signed a contract.
"Everything is agreed and it will probably go through in the next few hours. I'm here because I care about this club and I felt it was right to answer your questions physically here today before I move on."