Liam Rosenior has finalised his Chelsea backroom staff ahead of his first match as Blues head coach against Charlton in the FA Cup on Saturday.
The 41-year-old led his first training session at Cobham on Thursday and has been joined at Stamford Bridge by several trusted members of staff from Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg.
Justin Walker and Kalifa Cisse have been appointed as first-team coaches, while analyst Ben Warner has also followed Rosenior to west London. Ben Roberts joins the club as goalkeeper coach, and Bernardo Cueva will continue to oversee Chelsea’s set-piece department.
A key appointment within Rosenior’s staff is Calum McFarlane, who has been promoted to the first-team coaching group after impressing during a brief spell as interim manager. McFarlane stepped up from his role as Under-21s head coach following Enzo Maresca’s departure on 1 January and took charge of Chelsea’s last two matches, drawing 1-1 at Manchester City before a 2-1 defeat at Fulham, where the team played most of the game with 10 men after Marc Cucurella’s early red card.
McFarlane’s work with the senior squad during that period earned Rosenior’s trust, with the new head coach personally requesting that he remain part of the first-team setup. His promotion leaves a vacancy at Under-21 level, which has been filled by Harry Hudson, the former Under-18s boss.
Rosenior will now turn his focus to competitive matters, with his first game in charge coming away to Charlton on Saturday, marking the start of a new chapter at Chelsea following his appointment earlier this week.
