An Emotional Moment when Liam Rosenior Overcomes Obstacles

"He is a top manager who knows football back to front, and that's the crucial factor.

"But, as Chelsea's first African heritage footballer, it would be dishonest to claim this moment does not affect me."

Those are the sentiments of the former Chelsea winger, who earned his groundbreaking debut for the Blues' first team as a substitute in April 1982.

This week, Chelsea appointed Strasbourg boss Rosenior, aged 41, to be their new manager after the departure of Enzo Maresca.

Strasbourg are within the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital-owned ownership group that also controls Chelsea.

There have been a mere 12 of African or Caribbean heritage managers – not including individuals holding temporary caretaker roles – in the Premier League since it began thirty-four in the past.

"One thing that impresses me about Liam is that he grew up and played locally, he knows this community," continued Canoville.

"Whenever children observe someone like Liam managing the team they support, someone who looks like them, who's from their ends, from a household that fights for what's right… that's powerful demonstrating the path is there.

"So yes, this represents a huge moment for the club, for London, for every young person with big dreams.

"However, currently? We must support Rosenior, give him what he needs, and let the man do his work."

What Does the Statistics Reveal?

Dutch legend Ruud Gullit became Chelsea manager back in the nineties thereby becoming the top flight's first African heritage manager.

A dozen years on, by 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the pioneering English black manager in the Premier League after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is the sole additional current Premier League boss of colour.

The lack of managers of colour throughout English football is matched by an absence of representation in the boardroom.

As per the Black Footballers Partnership 2023's study, forty-three percent of top-flight footballers are from black backgrounds.

However, research by Kick It Out found just 3.2 percent of executive and leadership positions across 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Regarding first-team coaching positions, based on data provided by eleven clubs, the percentage stands at 2%.

For all coaching roles – encompassing head coaches – from those same eleven clubs, the figure is just 5%.

"He has undoubtedly broken barriers by virtue of him being announced as a the Chelsea head coach, and we hope to witness more such appointments," stated Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"We know that there exists loads of talent that exists within ethnic minority communities... they want a chance to demonstrate what they can do. It is imperative to continue to work hard to dismantle those barriers once and for all."

Furthermore, the new appointee will become one of only four permanent British managers currently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which lags behind the continent's remaining big five leagues in terms of homegrown managers.

Sixteen of the 20 top-flight managers in Italy are Italian, Eleven in La Liga are Spanish, Twelve in the Bundesliga in Germany and 10 of the 18 are French.

Current Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane commented: "I have no doubt every aspiring British coaches with a youth development pedigree are, to some degree no matter who you support, rooting for Liam.

"It is really motivating to young English coaches in the system to witness someone land that job with that profile and everyone hopes he does really well."

It is vital to remember – he's there based on talent'

Leroy Rosenior, Liam's father, played for clubs such as West London clubs, the Hammers and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career peaked with a five-month spell at the third-tier club Brentford back in 2006.

In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in that year's Honours List for his services in combating inequality in football and beyond.

When Rosenior Jr retired from playing he pursued his father's footsteps. He began penning articles for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he acknowledged the under-representation of black coaches. He pointed out that race does not determine coaching skill arguing that roles should be given on merit.

He further expressed the view he would repeat: how significant under-representation leads to a failure to understand regarding footballers from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

During an interview for a football podcast, he explained the way his leading forward, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "difficult" or "passionate", but said he understood the Netherlands international of Nigerian descent. The striker is expected to join him in moving from Strasbourg to Chelsea this summer.

In subsequent Guardian columns, Rosenior also admitted he was "embarrassed" to hear a coach make a homophobic slur. He vowed support for the Premier League's inclusion campaign and authored an open letter to the former US President during his first US presidency, condemning his "overt" racism.

He has subsequently built his reputation in the dugout – initially with Hull City, then Strasbourg – and Wayne Rooney said this week he was "as good a coach as I've ever worked with" following their time together at Derby County.

Rosenior said his farewells to his former club earlier this week prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Blues.

The Blues had the Premier League's pioneering African heritage manager in Gullit and the first black skipper named Paul Elliott.

Elliott has since worked in several executive roles, including the FA's diversity and inclusion board|