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Next Chelsea manager: Five contenders to replace sacked Liam Rosenior - Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Jose Mourinho and Filipe Luis
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Updated 22/04/2026 at 19:02 GMT+1
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After Liam Rosenior was sacked by Premier League club Chelsea on Wednesday, we take a look at five leading contenders to replace the Englishman at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea moved to sack Rosenior after the former Strasbourg head coach failed to deliver results at Stamford Bridge.
An 8-2 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League knocked them out of Europe, and five consecutive Premier League defeats came without a single goal. An "unacceptable" 3-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night left the club in seventh place.
Rosenior lasted just four months in charge after replacing Enzo Maresca at the start of the year, and Chelsea are assessing their options after placing Calum McFarlane in interim charge until the end of the season.
Reports suggest that the club’s owners may now look for a more experienced replacement, and we take a look at some of the leading contenders to step in.
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Cesc Fabregas
The former Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder has garnered praise and admirers in equal measure in Serie A.
Fabregas has excelled at Como this season, and his team are not yet entirely out of the running to finish in a Champions League spot.
The 38-year-old would be another youthful candidate for Chelsea, but may have more authority over the current squad given his stellar achievements as a player.
Andoni Iraola
The 43-year-old has announced that he will leave Bournemouth at the end of the season, with the south coast side still in contention for a European spot.
Iraola has been linked with a move to Manchester United as they hunt for a permanent manager of their own, as well as Crystal Palace following Oliver Glasner's confirmation that he will be departing Selhurst Park.
The early reporting had suggested that Iraola could instead be tempted back to Spain, with Athletic Club, his former club, looking to the Basque.
Jose Mourinho
Could the Portuguese be in line for a Chelsea hat-trick?
Mourinho won the Premier League with Chelsea in both spells at the club, and despite acrimonious ends on both occasions, he remains a popular figure amongst fans.
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He is currently at Benfica after a peripatetic spell saw him leave Manchester United for Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, and then Fenerbahce, and is now linked to another of his former clubs, Real Madrid. He would certainly carry the authority that Rosenior has appeared to lack at times.
Filipe Luis
The 40-year-old Brazilian is currently in charge of Flamengo in his home country, but is believed to have had talks with Chelsea in the past, suggesting the club could return for another crack.
As a player, he was a reliable left-back for the club, and he also had spells at Atletico Madrid, Flamengo, Deportivo La Coruna and Ajax. With Flamengo, he has already won seven titles as a manager.
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Marco Silva
Silva has managed in England since 2017, and has been in west London since 2021.
The Fulham manager has consistently exceeded expectations at Craven Cottage, but appears to have decided to up sticks, with no progress made on extending his contract beyond the current season.
While a leftfield option, he would be a tactically adept option with experience of the league.
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