Chelsea has parted ways with head coach Liam Rosenior after a tenure of less than four months, the club announced on Wednesday.
The team’s disappointing 3-0 loss against Brighton on Tuesday marked the Blues’ fifth consecutive league defeat, during which they have failed to score—a first since 1912—and jeopardized their chances of qualifying for the next season’s Champions League.
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Currently sitting seventh in the Premier League, they are trailing fifth-place Liverpool by seven points with only five matches remaining.
“This decision was not made lightly. However, recent performances have not met our standards, especially with so much still at stake this season,” Chelsea’s official statement read. “We wish Liam the best in his future endeavors.”
Calum McFarlane, who previously managed the club’s under-21 team, will step in as interim head coach until the season’s conclusion, having taken similar responsibilities when Chelsea dismissed Enzo Maresca in January.
“While we seek stability in the head coach position, we will engage in self-reflection to ensure the right long-term appointment is made,” the club’s statement further indicated.
According to sources, Chelsea is not currently in talks with any permanent coaching candidates.
Rosenior joined Chelsea in January, succeeding Maresca after moving from the club’s partner club, Strasbourg, and had signed a 5½-year contract.
Recent months have seen growing dissatisfaction among Chelsea’s fanbase, expressing vocal opposition to ownership by BlueCo, which also controls Strasbourg under a multi-club model.
A protest against BlueCo’s ownership occurred before last weekend’s home match against Manchester United, and Rosenior faced criticism from some away fans after Chelsea’s lackluster performance against Brighton.
Despite an initial desire to keep Rosenior regardless of their Champions League ambitions, mounting concerns about the team’s decline in results and unrest among supporters prompted the club’s leadership to act.
Sources revealed that Wednesday discussions on Rosenior’s future were held while players had the day off and that senior club officials informed the team and staff prior to the official announcement.
The club’s owners, BlueCo, reportedly believe that Rosenior maintained professionalism during his time in charge but concluded that a change was necessary to salvage the season.
Chelsea is set to face Leeds in the FA Cup semifinal this Sunday at Wembley.
Following Tuesday’s defeat, Rosenior, who had previously defended his players, criticized the squad’s performance, labeling it “indefensible.”
In their last nine league games, Chelsea has managed to secure just one win, with upcoming matches against Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Sunderland looming in their final league matches.
Having won the UEFA Conference League last season and secured the Club World Cup the previous summer, Chelsea faced elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain with an aggregate score of 8-2, and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by rivals Arsenal.
Rosenior’s dismissal marks the fifth long-term managerial change since U.S. owners Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly took over one of England’s most iconic clubs in 2022.