Former Derby County and Hull City head coach Liam Rosenior is set to be announced as the new manager of Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg in a shocking revelation.
Rosenior had recently been in charge at the MKM Stadium for the past two seasons and guided the Tigers to a seventh-place finish in the previous campaign. However, as a result of ending the season three points short of the play-offs, the 40-year-old was relieved of his duties and eventually replaced with Hamburg boss Tim Walter.
His sacking was certainly a polarising decision among the Hull fans. When Rosenior took charge back in October 2023, the East Yorkshire club were struggling near the bottom of the table and had been challenging for promotion to the Premier League within 18 months.
Nevertheless, those in the boardroom, especially owner Acun Ilicali believed that the squad was now good enough to finish inside the top six, which he ultimately failed to achieve. Hull City had signed the likes of Liam Delap and Fabio Carvalho on loan from two of the biggest clubs in the top-flight, while also adding Jaden Philogene to the team. Since, his departure, centre-back Jacob Greaves, Delap and Philogene have moved to Ipswich Town and Aston Villa for combined fees of £54 million.
Furthermore, owner Acun Ilıcalı gave his own views to Sky Sports on parting ways with the former Derby County assistant and interim coach, explaining that his “defensive” style of football didn’t align with the club’s philosophy.
“Liam has a very energetic style of football with every detail that I appreciate. But he is more control the game, a more defensive style of football, when what we want to see is a more attacking style, more dominating.”
Now, Rosenior is set to take his brand of football over to France. L’Equipe have revealed that the ex-Premier League defender is close to joining Ligue 1 side Strasbourg to replace Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira in the dugout just a few days after his departure from the hot seat.
Writer’s View
The report states that Strasbourg want a young successor to Vieira, explicitly an English coach and someone with a history of dealing with young players. Rosenior certainly ticks all these boxes as shown from his time with Derby County, where he, alongside Plymouth Argyle boss Wayne Rooney, developed the likes of Eiran Cashin, Jason Knight, Louie Sibley, and Malcolm Ebiowei, among others.
Additionally, Rosenior was also nominated for the Manager of the Season award in the previous campaign when he was in charge at Hull. While the owner and some portions of the fanbase believe his dismissal was justified, only time will tell who was correct. For now, though, it looks as if the young coach is set to fail upwards.
