WATCH: Chelsea manager favourite Liam Rosenior fights off relentless pressure from media as Strasbourg boss faces questions over Premier League job

After Chelsea parted ways with Maresca, the Blues are now searching for a replacement, with Rosenior viewed amongst the frontrunners. The former Premier League defender is currently managing Strasbourg, who are uniquely positioned as Chelsea's sister club. As a result, one would imagine negotiations to take Rosenior to Stamford Bridge would be far more straightforward than most other potential appointments. 

He has said that, to date, there has been no "concrete" contact, and after seeing Strasbourg draw with Nice, Rosenior was forced to fend off intense questioning from a Sky Sports reporter, who simply would not let the issue go. 

That being said, Rosenior was clear: "I don't know, to be honest. I said it in the press conference, in life you never know what can happen. It's difficult to describe the connection I have with this group. I feel loved, I've loved this job from the start. My answer remains the same: I don't know. Nothing is concrete, there are no concrete discussions. I just want to focus on the team, on the club, which is a magnificent club. What will be, will be; I have to stay focused on the present moment. It's a very beautiful city, with very beautiful people, a great club. I've loved everything. The players have been incredible. I truly want the best for this club."

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Rosenior maintains he will not disrespect Strasbourg by openly speaking about the prospect of moving to Chelsea.

He has said previously: "There are no guarantees in life. What I do know is that I put everything into this job. I’ve created some unbelievable connections with the people at this club. We’ve created some really great memories. You can’t guarantee anything in life. In terms of interest for other clubs, I’ve had a lot of interest. A lot of approaches that I’ve always been open with the club about. Some have come out and some haven’t. My focus is always on the job that I do. But to say I’m definitely going to be somewhere or definitely going to do something, I don’t think that’s right."

On BlueCo, he added: "They have been so supportive of me in this job. They want this club to do so well, as they also want Chelsea to do well as well."

Chelsea play Manchester City on Sunday and will be managed by Under-21 boss Calum McFarlane, who will take charge of his first-ever Premier League game, doing so against perhaps the greatest manager in history, Pep Guardiola. 

Ahead of the game, McFarlane said: "It's been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but also really enjoyable and exciting. I can only be positive about it.

"There's a really good culture at the club, in terms of the support from the first team, the directors, everyone seems interested. There's always a bit of an academy presence there [at U21s matches]. In all honesty, it's exactly the same as it always has been. We're all here for the same reason. Training was great today, there was a really good energy.

"You don't know what to expect, really, but the energy and enthusiasm was exceptional today. They were really focused, driven and hungry. We have a massive game on Sunday. Reece [James] has been brilliant, he has been a real leader in the group and helped the staff and players to get ready for Sunday."

He added: "Ultimately it's a football match. It's not about me, my first game or playing against Pep - it's Chelsea vs City. Two top sides, we'll go there and compete. We've seen this year how this team can do in big moments.

"I'm quite relaxed about it. It might be more nerve-wracking and daunting when it gets closer to the game."