Enzo Maresca got his wish by speaking out in a press conference, which led to his exit from Chelsea. The Blues have made a swift appointment by replacing him with Liam Rosenior from their sister club, Strasbourg.
Time will tell if Rosenior will be a success at Chelsea, but there are already obvious winners and losers.
3 winners from Liam Rosenior's appointment
Liam Rosenior
Rosenior's CV is not one that usually warrants getting a job at Chelsea's stature. He was Derby County's caretaker boss, following a stint with Hull City before his time with Strasbourg. The manager has been overpromoted, and it appears it is a job too soon for someone with his limited experience. We will soon find out if Rosenior has what it takes to be Chelsea manager.
Gary O'Neil
Gary O'Neil's managerial career has been solid, albeit relatively short. He kept AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League and was unlucky to lose his job with the Cherries. His next job was at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he led them to an impressive first season. However, the wheels fell off in the second campaign as Wolves continued to sell their best players.
O'Neil bided his time since being sacked by Wolves in 2024. He has been linked with lower Premier League and Championship jobs. However, Strasbourg, which now has the pathway to becoming the Chelsea boss one day, was inevitably very tempting.
BlueCo
The multi-club model is becoming very prominent throughout world soccer. BlueCo now has a feeder club in Stasbourg for Chelsea. They have been able to seamlessly switch Rosenior from the Ligue 1 club to the Premier League.
Players will inevitably follow the same path in the future. Strasbourg has already become a breeding ground for future Chelsea talent. Kendry Páez, Mamadou Sarr, and Mike Penders are on loan at the French club from the Blues.
3 sore losers from Liam Rosenior's appointment
Strasbourg fans
Strasbourg is losing a highly rated young coach who guided them to a seventh-place finish last season. They are currently in the same position in this campaign and are top of the Europa Conference League.
Being Chelsea's feeder club is not what Strasbourg supporters want. There have already been protests from fans about the model they are now a part of. They are on a bad run of form, without a win in their last five Ligue 1 games. If results do not improve, then more fan fury will be vented.
Chelsea
Chelsea is used to having the best of the best when it comes to managers. Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Thomas Tuchel, to name a few. With respect to Rosenior, his CV does not match many of his predecessors.
The Blues have appointed coaches without established careers so far in Graham Potter, Maresca, and Frank Lampard on a caretaker basis recently. Potter and Lampard both flopped, but Maresca at least had two trophies to his name. It will either look like a masterstroke appointing Rosenior, or it will be filed under the jobs that came too soon for upcoming coaches.
Joaquín Panichelli
Joaquín Panichelli has arguably been Strasbourg's best player this season. He has scored 10 goals in 17 Ligue 1 games this season. He is only 23, but his recent form has already earned him a cap for Argentina. He made a substitute appearance against Angola in November of last year.
At such a young age, stability is what he needs, so losing Rosenior is not good news. O'Neil has proved he is a good coach, but you never know if strikers can adapt to a new manager or not.