Liam Rosenior could become the latest Chelsea casualty as doubts persist over the manager’s reign following two recent dismissals
Doubts over Liam Rosenior’s future at Chelsea are ramping up just as two senior figures have been removed from their positions. Unlike those two individuals, however, Rosenior will no longer find cover under the BlueCo umbrella if he’s dismissed.
That’s after Chelsea co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart were relieved of their duties on the board of another BlueCo entity, Strasbourg. Those in charge of Todd Boehly’s consortium are pulling the necessary strings to ensure there’s no conflict of interest if two of his clubs find themselves in the same European competition next term.
Concerns at Stamford Bridge reached a fresh peak on Tuesday following the Blues’ limp 3-0 defeat away at Brighton. Chelsea failed to hit the target even once at the Amex Stadium and are reeling from a run of seven defeats in their last eight games.
The Blues are just about clinging onto seventh place, which would be enough to enter qualifying for next season’s Conference League. Brighton have leapfrogged Rosenior’s side into sixth and are currently on course to join the Europa League, meanwhile.
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However, league placement isn’t Chelsea’s only potential route into the Europa League. The club would also secure a place in Europe’s second-tier competition if they win this season’s FA Cup.
Rosenior’s side play Leeds at Wembley on Sunday in the semi-finals of this year’s tournament. Either Manchester City or Southampton await in next month’s final, where the victor will earn a Europa League berth provided they’re not already through to the Champions League.
L’Equipe reported BlueCo are getting ahead of things by stripping Winstanley and Stewart of their positions at Strasbourg. By doing so, they’ll hope to avoid a repeat of the controversy that denied Crystal Palace a spot in this season’s Europa League, due to a conflict of interest involving John Textor, who formerly owned both them and fellow entrant Lyon.
Strasbourg are highly unlikely to qualify for next term’s Europa League through the Ligue 1 table. They currently sit eighth in the standings, 10 points and three places off the necessary grade with only five games left to play.
However, Strasbourg have a good chance of qualifying for the Europa League through either the Conference League or the Coupe de France. They’re set to play in the semi-finals of both competitions, and a trophy in either tournament would grant them a spot in the league phase of next campaign’s Europa League.
It could still be a boon for Chelsea if Manchester City pip them to the FA Cup. This would mean all European qualifying positions in the Premier League table move down one, ensuring seventh would in fact be sufficient for a Europa League place.
Whether Rosenior is in place to oversee that project is a much more contentious matter, however, given the recent plummet in form. And in the recent rout of Chelsea dismissals, his would be more permanent.
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