Former Arsenal captain backed to become Chelsea manager

Chelsea have only just appointed Liam Rosenior (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea may have only recently hired Liam Rosenior, but they will already be ‘looking at’ former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas as his potential replacement.

That’s according to ex-Barcelona midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, who believes Fabregas’ impressive start to management with Como will make him an attractive hire for both of his former Premier League clubs.

Rosenior stepped into the vacant post at Chelsea last month following the abrupt departure of Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day.

And while suffering defeat to the Gunners in the Carabao Cup, the new Chelsea head coach has made a largely positive start to life at Chelsea.

A convincing win over Hull City saw the Blues progress into the FA Cup fifth round, while four wins from his first five league games have Rosenior’s Chelsea side firmly in the hunt for a top-four spot.

But despite his relatively impressive start to life in west London, not everybody is convinced about Rosenior’s long-term suibtability for the role.

World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit believes that Rosenior may well be out of the job by the end of the year, such is the trigger-happy nature of those in charge at Chelsea.

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Cesc Fabregas has made a great start in managment (Picture: Getty)

And should that be the case, Mendieta believes that Chelsea may already have Fabregas in their thoughts as a potential future head coach.

The Spaniard, who captained Arsenal and later won the league with Chelsea, has impressed greatly since taking over at Como permanently in July 2024.

The 38-year-old led his side to a tenth-place finish in Serie A in his first season, marking Comon’s best league finish since 1987.

Not everyone is convinced by Liam Rosenior (Picture: Getty)

And Fabregas has built on that form this season, with his side currently sitting seventh in the table and just one point off the European places.

Mendieta stressed he does not expect Fabregas to be eyeing a move in the near future, but said his ‘incredible’ work in Italy will no doubt have both Chelsea and Arsenal playing close attention.

‘I think Cesc Fabregas will take his time because he has everything he needs at Como,’ he told BetBrothers. ‘He wants players, they bring him players. Whatever he wants, they bring it to him. And that’s allowing him to have that kind of power in the decision-making.

‘I think I saw something this weekend which I haven’t seen throughout the season with Alvaro Morata. Morata got sent off because he reacted to a provocation and Fabregas came out publicly to say, you know, he should know better.

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‘I think it’s the first time he goes public about a player instead of, you know, going public as he probably did in the past. So for me, that’s showing personality, showing, ‘I’m the boss,’ and that obviously is a sign of ‘I’m going to be here for a while.

‘His former clubs will let managers go and obviously Chelsea, Arsenal, I mean really any club at the top, will be looking at him as an option because he’s doing an incredible job at Como.’

And while Arsenal are surely more than content with their progress under Mikel Arteta, Mendieta wonders whether the allure of a job in his home country might appeal to the Gunners boss in the not-so-distant future.

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‘Mikel Arteta will one day manage Barcelona, I think eventually we’ll see that,’ he added. ‘Again, the connections are strong. But I think it depends on how he wants to deal with his managerial career, in terms of having his mind set to be there forever, like a one-club man sort of thing.

‘Does he really want to experience football in different countries? To be honest, if he is to leave Arsenal, I see him more likely to go abroad than to another Premier League club. So, obviously, I’d say Barca would be his favourite next move if he were to leave Arsenal.

‘To be honest, I don’t know what’s best. If he wins, he will leave. If he doesn’t win, he will leave. I don’t know. If he wins, he might continue to increase the number of trophies.

‘We would have to be in Arteta’s head to think what he wants to do in the future. But for me, I see him more on the long term, as long as possible to stay at Arsenal, rather than moving somewhere else, than leaving any time soon.’

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