Does Rosenior have plans to bring youth players into first team?published at 14:58 GMT
14:58 GMT
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Liam Rosenior's appointment as head coach is likely to lift morale in the academy, particularly after he named under-21s coach Calum McFarlane as one of his assistants.
Many Chelsea fans have been wondering if Rosenior has plans to integrate any youth-team players into the first team, which has been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about Chelsea' form.
We have already seen academy striker Shim Mheuka feature under him. Opportunities had been limited under Enzo Maresca, especially without the third-tier Conference League to give young players game time.
However, Chelsea have at least two players for every position, so chances will remain scarce, and there is pressure from both the fans and the club to deliver results.
My view is that Rosenior may offer more opportunities in the long term if he is given time, but it is still hard to see many openings for someone like Dujuan Richards given the depth of the squad, particularly in wide areas.
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Chelsea recall Fofana before salepublished at 11:34 GMT
11:34 GMT
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea have recalled striker David Datro Fofana from his loan spell at Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk with a view to selling him.
The 23-year-old is attracting interest from clubs in England and Europe as the Blues look to cash in on the Ivory Coast international.
Fofana has struggled to make the grade at Stamford Bridge since his £10m move from Molde in 2023, playing just four times and having had loan spells at Burnley, Union Berlin and Goztepe.
Chelsea 2-0 Brentford - the fans' verdictpublished at 07:50 GMT
07:50 GMT
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Brentford.
Here are some of your comments:
Chelsea fans
Danny: It was far from a convincing victory, but we won and go again. I'm not convinced this new manager will have time to stamp his own tactics very quickly. The goalkeeper is a good shot-stopper and that's it. We need a settled back four and Estevao Willian and Cole Palmer need to be on the pitch at the same time. Wingers need to take on full-backs and get crosses in rather than checking their runs and passing it sideways. Fans want to watch a team on the front foot. Let's see what happens.
Chris: Another woeful defensive showing and against a more ruthless attacking force we would have been buried. Far too easy to get through and around I'm afraid! Liam Rosenior needs to sort the defence ASAP and then get us a world-class striker and goalkeeper to have any chance of future success.
Pete: Sometimes you have to win ugly and ride your luck. That's exactly what Chelsea have done and need to carry on with the work-rate to climb the table. Good luck to Rosenior - he'll need it.
Flora: Chelsea were so poor defensively yet again. Sanchez saved us. He did well after Wednesday's errors. It's not often you win 2-0 and say we were lucky not to lose! We need new decent defenders and a coach who understands the Premier League.
Brentford fans
Gavin: A creditable performance that deserved at least a draw. However, if you don't score at least once from four gilt-edged chances you end up losing to teams like Chelsea. Brentford will probably play as well and win this season. You pay for your mistakes.
Will: An unlucky bounce and a lapse of concentration ultimately separates us from a £1bn team. We played well and created enough chances, just did not capitalise on them. I would love to see us shooting more rather than always looking to pass in the final third. We go again...
Stanley: Brentford deserved something from the game.
Tim: No lack of courage from the players, but a worrying lack of courage from the coach. More than matching Chelsea at the Bridge, and conceding from a mistake and a rebound is OK. But it's always the same substitutes, playing safe when Romelle Donovan, Reiss Nelson or even Kaye Furo would have given something different. An opportunity missed!
Feyenoord forward Anis Hadj Moussa, 23, is being monitored by Chelsea but Marseille and Benfica are also keeping tabs on the Algeria international. (Florian Plettenberg), external
Chelsea analysis: A scrappy win the whole club neededpublished at 18:25 GMT 17 January
18:25 GMT 17 January
Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
There may only have been 100-200 fans protesting outside the stadium before the game, but against the backdrop of that fringe movement, this was a win Chelsea needed.
There are various concerns within the fanbase, and not everyone agreed with those gathered outside the Britannia Gate before kick-off.
But the general mood reflected the growing frustration heard at both home and away games, where chants in support of former owner Roman Abramovich - and against current custodians Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital - have become an increased part of the background noise around the club.
Just one win in nine matches before this was at the heart of those concerns - and chants in support of former manager Enzo Maresca, who left on New Year's Day, highlighted the rising distrust in the club's decision-making.
Liam Rosenior, who was appointed before Chelsea played Fulham earlier this month but did not take charge of the game, has not been targeted by fans, but a slow start could have risked him being drawn into the wider frustration.
Yet while Chelsea's performance was far from assured, their superior finishing ultimately separated these two west London rivals.
Rosenior will be relieved.
He has spoken about needing short‑term results to secure the time required to imprint his ideas on a team still playing in an eerily similar style to Maresca's. In fairness, his substitutions proved influential, with Andrey Santos offering tidy, defensively solid play, and Liam Delap winning a penalty.
Rosenior revealed after the match that winger Estevao Willian was the latest player to miss out through illness, and that a virus continues to wreak havoc.
"It's running through the squad," he said. "There were a few, I won't say who, but there were a couple of players playing today who were complaining about their chests. They put in a magnificent effort.
"Liam was ill. Yesterday late, Estevao had a temperature and a fever. We just have to be really adaptable and adjust the way that we work.
"I felt that's why we weren't good with the ball. I won't give you names, it's not right for me to do that, but I'm so happy with the attitude of the group to get through this game."
Put simply, Chelsea needed a win - to quieten the noise, stay within reach of Champions League qualification, and kickstart another new era under another new manager.
As Rosenior said: "We didn't play the free-flowing football that I want us to in the end, but we got the job done and that's a really, really pleasing result for the players to give them and myself more confidence moving forward."
Chelsea 2-0 Brentford: What Rosenior saidpublished at 18:14 GMT 17 January
18:14 GMT 17 January
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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, speaking to Sky Sports after the 2-0 win over Brentford: "If you want to be a winning team then you have to find a way to win when you're not at your best.
"I said a few things about the club's demands. I want us to play free-flowing football and for the fans to enjoy what we do. I'm here to help the lads improve and win games of football at the same time.
On Cole Palmer: "He's a fantastic player. I have to give Cole and Reece James credit. They haven't trained, they've been in the wars. It was an outstanding team performance from Cole and he's going to get better."
Did you know
Chelsea's Cole Palmer has scored in consecutive Premier League home games for the first time in just over a year, since doing so in January 2025.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Brentford" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Nottingham Forest v Arsenal", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Chelsea v Brentfordpublished at 10:43 GMT 17 January
10:43 GMT 17 January
Liam Rosenior's Chelsea looked a bit like Enzo Maresca's Chelsea against Arsenal, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez playing out from the back.
It seems they have got a new manager who is going to play the same way as their old one, but is Rosenior going to be a stickler for doing it at all costs the way Maresca was?
It finished 2-2 when these sides met earlier in the season and it will be close this time too.
Brentford are on such a good run that has seen them climb to fifth, three places above Chelsea, but I still fancy the Blues at Stamford Bridge even though they have only won one of their past five games there.
Rosenior was without several players through injury, illness and suspension against the Gunners, but he will be hoping to have a few of them back for this one.
Chelsea v Brentford: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 18:20 GMT 16 January
18:20 GMT 16 January
Chris Adams BBC Sport journalist
After mixed results in his two cup games since taking over, Liam Rosenior's first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea sees them host fifth-placed Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
It is a fixture in which the Blues, two points adrift of their opponents in eighth, have struggled in recent times, registering just one win in the past eight meetings between the two clubs.
Rosenior, whose dad Leroy is a former Brentford manager, will be hoping to emulate his fellow Englishman Graham Potter by winning his first league game in the Chelsea hotseat - something which has eluded seven of the club's past eight bosses.
Recent absentees Cole Palmer and Reece James have trained this week, but striker Liam Delap, who scored the final goal of Enzo Maresca's reign in another west London derby against Fulham, is expected to miss out because of illness.
Rosenior will be mindful of the fact Chelsea have conceded the opening goal in each of their past three league games, especially since only Manchester City and Arsenal have spent a larger amount of time in a winning game state than Brentford (37.2%), proving how adept the visitors are at defending a lead.
Brentford are unbeaten in six league games, their best run since a seven-match stint in September 2023, but they struggle on the road in their own city.
The Bees have lost 11 of their past 15 away London derbies in the league, conceding at least twice in each defeat.
On a positive note, no Premier League duo have combined for more goals this season than Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade (four), the German laying on three assists for the in-form Brazilian, who is second in the scoring charts with 16.
Thiago's double against Sunderland means he has scored the most goals of any Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign, taking him clear of Roberto Firmino, Matheus Cunha and Gabriel Martinelli.
The lively link-up between the pair extends to chances created. Their record of 13 is only bettered this season by Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard (16), Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins (16) and Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland (14).
Inside Rosenior's first week at Chelseapublished at 15:46 GMT 16 January
15:46 GMT 16 January
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter at Cobham Training Centre
Image source, PA Media
Chelsea defenders Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile have described what the first week working under new head coach Liam Rosenior has been like.
Rosenior, 41, replaced former boss Enzo Maresca after he fell out with the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge, prompting his mid-season departure. He has since overseen a 5-1 win away at Charlton in the FA Cup third round and a 3-2 home defeat by Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Both Chalobah and Badiashile called the mid-season managerial change "difficult" but, speaking before facing Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, were positive about the new coach.
Chalobah said: "You have to adapt quickly from one manager's style of play to the next. We've got to hit the ground running. It has been a lot of meetings and a lot of tactical work on the pitch.
"He's explained his background, what he wants from us and his principles. When managers come in, it's obviously going to be different and it's about getting those basics right.
"His football is something we're used to. We like to play and that's exactly what he wants - to play, to trust ourselves and rely on each other, knowing the quality we have.
"He's very confident, knows what he wants and is very clear. You can see the players are engaged straight away."
Badiashile said: "He spoke about the mentality to always be positive. Whether we win or lose, we need to have the right mindset. That's why he is trying to help us stay positive, even when it's difficult.
"The sessions are good - a lot of the ball, aggressive without the ball - so it is good to work with him. I watch the French league so I know how good he is. Now we have to focus on the future, not the past."
Asked if much had changed behind the scenes, Badiashile added: "No, it's pretty much the same to be honest."
George trending towards Chelsea exitpublished at 10:18 GMT 16 January
10:18 GMT 16 January
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea attacker Tyrique George has been frozen out at Stamford Bridge since mid‑December.
The 19‑year‑old made a notable impact towards the end of last season under former manager Enzo Maresca but has not been included in any of Chelsea's past 12 Premier League matchday squads.
George suffered further disappointment when he failed to make the squad for the FA Cup third‑round tie against Charlton on Saturday. He was, however, an unused substitute against Arsenal, with eight senior players ruled out of the match. His most recent senior appearance for Chelsea came in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, playing 45 minutes in the first half against League One side Cardiff City.
Chelsea signalled their intentions at the end of the summer transfer window by accepting a £22m bid from Fulham on deadline day, only for the move to collapse in the final moments. George is again available for transfer and could consider a loan move, but he is not expected to revive a switch to Craven Cottage after being left frustrated by how the failed move was handled.
He was also discussed as part of a potential swap deal for midfielder Xavi Simons - now at Tottenham - during the Dutchman's spell at RB Leipzig, underlining the possibility that a move abroad could suit him.
New manager Liam Rosenior is not expected to alter the trajectory of George's future. When asked about the forward's situation, Rosenior said: "The honest answer is I don't know. Tyrique is a player of immense potential who I've been aware of for a long time."
If George stays, he could still earn further minutes, but Chelsea appear ready to cash in on another academy product, having already sold players such as Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, Tammy Abraham, Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori under their current owners and the previous ownership.
Gossip: Chelsea keen on Senesi published at 08:01 GMT 16 January
08:01 GMT 16 January
Chelsea want to bring in a defender this window, with Bournemouth's Argentina international Marcos Senesi, 28, among several targets. (Talksport), external
'You have to adapt quickly' - Chalobahpublished at 18:39 GMT 15 January
18:39 GMT 15 January
With five more games between now and the return leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final with Arsenal, former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot feels the side will have found "better rhythm" under new boss Liam Rosenior and the game will be "even closer".
So we asked you whether you thought these games in between would provide the Blues with a better chance of turning the tie around. Across our three options suggesting yes, 47% felt it will be a help, while 20% are less convinced and the remaining 6% could not decide.
Meanwhile, defender Trevoh Chalobah has been speaking to BBC Sport about Rosenior and the changes he has been making since he arrived.
You can see what he had to say below and further down this page you'll find what the new Chelsea boss has been saying in his news conference before the visit of Brentford on Saturday.
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Rosenior on illness in squad, goalkeepers and Brentfordpublished at 14:18 GMT 15 January
14:18 GMT 15 January
Phil Cartwright BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Rosenior said the club are trying to contain a virus that has affected some players and members of staff in recent days. Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens are recovering at home.
Cole Palmer and Reece James, who are recovering from minor injuries, will be assessed after training on Thursday with the hope they could be involved against Brentford.
On reports that Facundo Buonanotte is set to join Leeds on loan, Rosenior said: "I thought he was magnificent against Charlton. In terms of the games and minutes he's had, it's not quite what he wants so we're looking into the best solution for him."
Rosenior continued: "I'm in constant communication with the sporting directors and the ownership about potential transfers that would be good for us, coming in and coming out. But I said to them when I first came in that I want to look at and assess this group, because you get good surprises. If something's right for us in any position that's going to help the team and the club, we'll look at it."
On whether Robert Sanchez remains his number one goalkeeper for Premier League games after two errors in Wednesday's Carabao Cup loss to Arsenal, Rosenior said: "It's the same for every position. I'm here to assess every position and I don't have number ones or number twos. There has to be competition. You have to earn your spot in this team. I have a very good squad, so that is the message to all of the players - I don't have guaranteed number ones or number nines, they have to earn their place in the team."
After Chelsea fans sang his name during his first home match in charge, Rosenior said maintaining a positive relationship with supporters needs to be "two-way". He continued: "For them to sing my name, they need to enjoy what they see on the pitch, see us attack games and most importantly see us get results. Hopefully I can develop a really good relationship with them, not for what I say here, but for what they see on the pitch."
Rosenior said he has not been surprised by how well Keith Andrews has done in charge of Brentford. "He's at a good club where they have a clear idea about their infrastructure and what they want to do," said the Chelsea boss. "His team are in good form and will be a difficult challenge for us."
Chelsea will 'have a better rhythm' by second-legpublished at 13:30 GMT 15 January
13:30 GMT 15 January
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Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot says he does not want to "judge" the performances of Liam Rosenior's team too soon and expects their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal to be "even closer".
In Rosenior's first home game in charge since taking over, the Blues fell to a 3-2 defeat by London rivals Arsenal in the first leg of their Carbao Cup semi-final.
Despite having seemingly improved this season, it was goalkeeper Robert Sanchez who failed to deal with the Gunners' first two goals to put Chelsea on the back-foot, but Rosenior refused to place blame on the Spain international.
"It's too early to start asking question marks [about Sanchez]. Everybody will make mistakes," Melchiot told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
"Of course he [Rosenior] sees them [the mistakes], but you do not want to publicly go after your players.
"One of the key things I saw is how far up the keeper is. Rosenior wants to create an extra centre-half when they have the ball. We want time. I do not want to judge him too hard. They are so used to playing the way prior to his arrival."
Despite the defeat and having been two goals down on two occasions, Chelsea can take some positives from the fact it is just a one-goal deficit to overturn, with substitute Alejandro Garnacho scoring two crucial goals.
Rosenior will now have five games before the return leg at the Emirates, which he will hope to have players like Cole Palamer and captain Reece James back for, while also being able to implement his style of play more.
" Melchiot added: "Garnacho came on and played well. You need your wingers, they have got to contribute. Estevao had a couple of opportunities. That kid is confident, and so young. The ones that do well in the Premier League are the ones who were that confident.
"The two goals Garnacho scored were important. It allowed Chelsea to compete again. After seven minutes, the corner, you cannot do that. You know how Arsenal play.
"You go to Arsenal's stadium now. Chelsea will be further into the games, you have a better rhythm to create. I expect this game to be even closer."
How much - if at all - do you think those five games will help Chelsea to reach Wembley final?
Image source, Getty Images
