The 41-year-old Englishman replaces Italian Enzo Maresca, who left last week, and has signed a contract until 2032. He becomes the fourth full-time coach since American Todd Boehly’s takeover in 2022.

“This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies,” Rosenior said, expressing excitement for the new role.

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Rosenior’s playing career included Fulham, Hull City, and Brighton and Hove Albion. He managed Strasbourg from July 2024 after coaching spells at Derby County as Wayne Rooney’s assistant and at Hull in England’s second division. Rooney called him “as good a coach as I’ve ever worked with.”

Although relatively inexperienced at the top level, Rosenior impressed by leading Strasbourg to European qualification with a seventh-place Ligue 1 finish. Rosenior became Chelsea’s leading candidate partly because Strasbourg and Chelsea are both owned by Boehly’s BlueCo consortium.

His first match in charge will be Saturday’s FA Cup game at Charlton Athletic, though he will watch Wednesday’s trip to Fulham from the stands while under-21s coach Calum McFarlane manages the team. Rosenior now faces the challenge of steadying an expensive squad of international stars, contrasting his Strasbourg experience with a modest team.

“My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game as we continue winning trophies,” Rosenior said. He thanked everyone at Chelsea for trusting him with the role.

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Earlier, he announced at Strasbourg that assistants Kalifa Cisse and Justin Walker would join him at Chelsea. He added that while many top clubs had shown interest, Chelsea was an opportunity he could not refuse.