Watford Make Contact but Liam Rosenior Prioritises Europe Return Over EFL Comeback

Former Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is expected to ignore overtures from a number of EFL clubs this summer, preferring to wait until an opportunity in one of Europe’s leading competitions becomes vacant before making his return to management, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Despite only spending 106 days in charge at Stamford Bridge, before being sacked following a miserable sequence of results, the former Hull City chief’s stock remains high within Championship boardrooms following his exploits at the MKM Stadium.

Watford are understood to have made contact with Rosenior’s representatives, given his experience of working within multi-ownership structures under the BlueCo umbrella both in west London and, prior to that, Strasbourg.

Although they have dispensed with their interests in Udinese and Granada, the Pozzo family, who hold power at Vicarage Road, control a sports investment company and would appreciate working with Rosenior given the breadth of his contacts within the game.

FULL DEBRIEF

But rather than jump straight back into a high-profile role in England, Rosenior is minded to undertake a proper debrief of his time at Chelsea before considering job offers. 

Then, having quickly adjusted to life in France, he would ideally prefer to rebuild his reputation abroad, particularly given the high turnover of jobs within the English game at present. 

Rosenior still boasts plenty of admirers in Ligue 1, having led Strasbourg from mid-table obscurity into the UEFA Conference League.

Much of the criticism Rosenior faced during his brief, ill-fated stint with a dysfunctional Chelsea squad was unfair and unfounded; stemming predominantly from pundits with little or no experience in coaching themselves. 

COSTLY MISTAKES

However, privately he concedes he made mistakes in the capital, and is determined to learn from those when he takes up another position.

The severance package Rosenior received after being relieved of his duties by The Blues is not believed to prevent him from accepting a new role this summer. 

Crystal Palace are also understood to have added his name to a list of possible replacements for Oliver Glasner. 

However, Andoni Iraola, who is leaving AFC Bournemouth shortly, is the leading contender to seize the reins from the Austrian.