Chelsea next manager odds: ex-Barcelona boss and club icon among favourites to replace sacked Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior has left his job as Chelsea manager
Chelsea’s abysmal run of form continued on Tuesday evening, as Liam Rosenior’s side were comprehensively battered 3-0 at Brighton in the Premier League. The result saw the club part ways with their manager a day later, in a typically decisive boardroom move.
As the Sky Sports commentary team pointed out towards the end of the match, it was the first time since 1912 - the year the Titanic sank - that the Blues had lost five league matches in a row without scoring a goal. That was also the same year as the enormous Novarupta volcanic eruption, and there’s a similar molten fury now brewing among disgruntled Chelsea fans.
Groans, boos and howls of dissatisfaction echoed out from the away end throughout the match, as the utterly disjointed, ‘crab football’ showcased by the Blues saw them fail to land a single shot on target during the dismal defeat. Rosenior’s side, much like Enzo Maresca’s for large stretches of his reign, showed no signs of cohesion - almost like they were a group of players signed not for their use in a system now, but for their potential re-sale value in the future.
The club’s owners - seemingly obsessed with signing almost exclusively young, obscenely expensive talent - have seen their chickens not just come to roost; they’ve crashed through the barn window and torched it to the ground. Another summer of wheeling and dealing is just around the corner, and the heat on co-owner Behdad Eghbali will continue to rise if the same strategy persists.
While Rosenior can’t be blamed for the off-the-field circus, he must and indeed has taken responsibility for the one on it of late. As the Blues once again look for a manager to hand a long contract to who probably won’t last until January, here’s the latest Chelsea next manager odds from Betfair:
Chelsea next manager odds - front-runners
Felipe Luis - 5/2: The former Blues left-back didn’t exactly have a glowing career at the club, staying for just one season before moving straight back to Atletico Madrid. He’s the current favourite to become Chelsea’s next manager, having built up a reputation as a top class coach with Brazilian giants Flamengo, winning a glut of silverware during his one-and-a-half years in charge.
Cesc Fabregas - 4/1: A Chelsea icon, Fabregas would surely be a popular appointment among Blues fans. His Como side have enjoyed an exceptional season in Serie A, and look well on track to qualify for Europe. Would he really give up those tranquil lakeside views to take the wheel of the Stamford Bridge clown car, though?
Oliver Glasner - 9/2: He revealed he’d be leaving Crystal Palace at the end of the season all the way back in January, midway through a deeply frustrating transfer window that saw talisman Marc Guehi sold to Man City. There’s no telling where exactly the 51-year-old could go next, but he’ll be a key part of the summer managerial merry-go-round, that’s for sure.
Xavi Hernandez - 6/1: The Barcelona legend has been without a club since May 2024, but did enough during his two-and-a-half year spell with the Catalan giants to ensure his name regularly crops up when high profile roles are up for grabs. He won La Liga with Barca back in 2022/23, adding to his outrageous haul of trophies accumulated there as a player.
Chelsea next manager odds - long shots
Roberto De Zerbi - 15/2: Relegate Tottenham and walk straight in as Chelsea’s new manager? That’s club legend status on arrival, surely. If Spurs do go down under his watch, it seems unlikely that the ex-Brighton boss will stick around, but a swift switch over to west London doesn’t look like it would be on the cards.
Marco Silva - 9/1: While Fulham have been unable to kick on and qualify for Europe in recent seasons, the stability that the 48-year-old has brought to the club is commendable, in an era where promoted teams struggle to hold onto their Premier League status. He doesn’t look to be in the picture to become Chelsea’s next manager, however.
Unai Emery - 10/1: Aston Villa have had an utterly bonkers season - failing to win a Premier League game until late September, before going on to win eleven matches on the trot in all competitions. They’re well on track to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and it’s hard to imagine Emery giving that up to replace Rosenior.
Frank Lampard - 11/1: He’s had the job twice before, and remains an idolised figure at the club. Super Frank’s Coventry City will test their mettle in the Premier League season after a barnstorming campaign under the Blues favourite, and he’ll be fully focused on hitting the ground running come August. In the future, he’ll surely be back, but not any time soon.