An Powerful Milestone when Rosenior Shatters Barriers

"Rosenior represents an excellent coach that knows the game intimately, which is the crucial factor.

"But, as Chelsea's first black player, I would be lying if I said this appointment fails to move me."

Those are the words expressed by the former Chelsea winger, who earned his groundbreaking first appearance for the Blues' first team as a substitute in April 1982.

On Tuesday, Chelsea appointed RC Strasbourg manager Rosenior, aged 41, as their next manager following the exit of manager Enzo Maresca.

The French club is part of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned BlueCo that also owns the London club.

There have been only 12 of African or Caribbean heritage managers – not including individuals in interim roles – in England's top flight since its inception 34 years ago.

"What really strikes me about Liam is he grew up and played not far from here, he understands this area," continued Canoville.

"When youngsters see a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, someone who looks like them, who's from their ends, from a household that fights for what's right… it is impactful and shows them that opportunities exist.

"Indeed, it is a massive moment for Chelsea, for London, for every young person dreaming big.

"But right now? We must support Rosenior, provide him with the necessary tools, and let the man get on with the job."

What Does the Numbers Reveal?

The iconic Dutchman Ruud Gullit was appointed Chelsea manager in 1996 and became the Premier League's inaugural African heritage manager.

Twelve years later, by 2008, Paul Ince became the first English black boss in the top flight after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo currently stands as the only other current Premier League boss of colour.

The scarcity of managers of colour throughout the English game corresponds with a lack of representation at executive level.

As per a Black Footballers Partnership 2023's report, 43% of Premier League players are from black heritage.

Yet, analysis by the equality organization revealed just 3.2% of board and senior leadership management teams across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

At senior coaching positions, according to figures provided by 11 clubs, the figure stands at 2%.

Across all coaching positions – including senior roles – from those same eleven clubs, the figure is 5%.

"He's certainly broken barriers in terms of his appointment as the Chelsea manager, and as an organization, we want to see more of that," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"We know there is loads of ability present within black and underrepresented communities... they want the opportunity to demonstrate what they can do. We need to persist in striving to break those barriers down."

Furthermore, Rosenior will become the fourth permanent British head coaches currently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe as well as Scott Parker – a number that lags behind the continent's remaining big five leagues in terms of homegrown representation.

Sixteen of the 20 first division coaches in Serie A are Italian, 11 of the 20 in Spain, Twelve in the Bundesliga in Germany while Ten of the 18 are French.

The present Chelsea caretaker manager Calum McFarlane said: "I'm sure all young English managers from an academy background will be, in some way regardless of allegiance, supporting Liam.

"It's truly inspirational for up-and-coming British academy coaches to witness an individual land that job with that profile and everyone hopes he does highly successful."

'Let's not forget – he's there on merit'

His father, Leroy, Rosenior Sr., played for the likes of Fulham, the Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, with his coaching stint peaked with a five-month stint at the third-tier club Brentford FC back in 2006.

In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for his services to tackling discrimination in football and wider society.

When Rosenior Jr hung up his boots he followed a path in management. He began writing articles for The Guardian, where in 2017 he addressed the lack of diversity of black coaches. He pointed out that race does not determine coaching skill arguing that roles should be given based on qualification.

He further expressed the view he would repeat: that vast under-representation results in a failure to understand regarding footballers with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

During an interview for a football podcast, he explained the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, was labelled "hard to manage" or "passionate", noting that he could relate to the Netherlands player with Nigerian parentage. The striker is expected to follow him in moving from Strasbourg to Chelsea in July.

In subsequent newspaper articles, Rosenior also admitted to being "embarrassed" upon hearing an unnamed coach utter a homophobic slur. He pledged support for the inclusion initiative and authored a public message to Donald Trump during his first US presidency, accusing him of "blatant" racism.

Rosenior has since made his name as a manager – first at Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their time together with Derby.

The manager bid goodbye to his former club earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term deal with the Blues.

Chelsea had the top flight's pioneering African heritage boss with Gullit and the first black skipper named Paul Elliott.

Elliott later held multiple executive roles, among them the Football Association's diversity and inclusion board|