Chelsea’s decision to sack Liam Rosenior after just 107 days has drawn sharp criticism from Paul Scholes, who questioned why the owners believed Rosenior was the right choice. The dismissal followed a 3-0 defeat at Brighton, leaving Chelsea eighth in the Premier League and chasing a 10-point gap to fifth-placed Aston Villa.
The 41-year-old Rosenior, a former Brighton player for over three years, was appointed at Stamford Bridge on a six-and-a-half-year contract. The spell ended with five straight Premier League defeats without a goal, and a five-game losing streak in all competitions, the club’s longest in the league since November 1993.
Chelsea’s five consecutive league defeats without scoring are their worst such run since November 1912. The
club has not lost six Premier League matches in a row since November 1993 and has never endured six successive league defeats without scoring, placing extra focus on the next fixtures under interim management.
Rosenior became the fifth permanent Chelsea manager removed since BlueCo completed the club’s takeover in 2022. The hierarchy said there would be "a process of self-reflection" to secure the "right long-term appointment" after Rosenior’s exit, though results and performances underlined the difficulty of that search during a difficult domestic season.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, former Manchester United midfielder Scholes questioned the ownership strategy and Rosenior’s suitability to follow Enzo Maresca. Scholes argued Chelsea’s plan to focus on younger players appeared unclear and suggested that, outside the boardroom, many in the game doubted whether Rosenior fit the club’s scale and ambition.
Scholes said: "I don't see what the Chelsea owners are trying to do. Develop young players, is that a way of doing it? I don't know. The owners will take blame for a lot of it, of course they will. Other than the owners, nobody else in and around football thought Liam Rosenior was the right person for Chelsea. It was just crazy for me. Once you make that decision, what is Liam going to do? He is not going to say no to a Chelsea job from where he was. "
Scholes added that once the ownership backed Rosenior, they needed to accept potential difficult spells. He pointed to five straight Premier League losses without scoring as a decisive factor, saying such a sequence leaves almost no chance of survival for any manager at a club with Chelsea’s expectations.
Chelsea Liam Rosenior Premier League fallout and interim plan
Chelsea confirmed Calum McFarlane would again act as interim head coach for the rest of the 2025-26 season, having also stepped in after Maresca left. McFarlane’s latest spell began with a 1-0 win over Leeds United, securing Chelsea a place in the FA Cup final against Manchester City next month.
Reports in England have linked several names with the Chelsea role on a permanent basis. Former Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, Fulham head coach Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola, who will leave Bournemouth at the season’s end, are all said to be strong contenders for the Stamford Bridge position.
McFarlane’s first Premier League game in this second interim stint comes on Monday when Chelsea host relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in London. The fixture arrives with the club trying to avoid equalling their worst Premier League losing run and guarding against a first sequence of six league defeats without scoring.
Chelsea announced Rosenior’s dismissal with a short statement on social media, confirming the end of the brief tenure and the search for a new direction.
Club statement: Liam RoseniorChelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 22, 2026
Scholes’s comments highlight the scrutiny now facing the Chelsea ownership as the club battles for a Champions League place. With Champions League hopes fading, McFarlane’s short-term results, the FA Cup run, and the next permanent appointment will shape how the Rosenior period is judged inside and outside Stamford Bridge.
