Next Chelsea manager: Liam Rosenior responds to speculation he could replace Enzo Maresca

Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior has admitted that he 'cannot guarantee anything' amid speculation linking him with Chelsea.

On New Year's Day, Chelsea announced that they had parted ways with Enzo Maresca, a consequence of a breakdown in the relationship between the Italian and the club's hierarchy.

Chelsea's Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane will take charge of Sunday's Premier League fixture at Manchester City.

However, as much attention will remain on who will replace Maresca in the long term with Rosenior the clear favourite for the job.

BlueCo - who own both Chelsea and Strasbourg - have been left impressed by the job that the Englishman has done at Stade de la Meinau.

Rosenior responds to Chelsea speculation

Ahead of Strasbourg facing Nice on Saturday, Rosenior was in front of the media on Friday with the topic of Chelsea overshadowing that Ligue 1 fixture.

In response, the 41-year-old said: "There is a lot of noise and gossips, but as a coach, if you get involved in them, you fail. My job is here, I love this club, but I can’t guarantee anything."

He added: "There’s no guarantees in life. I can’t guarantee how long I’ll be there. I enjoy myself here every day and I intend to continue doing so as long as I’m here."

Rosenior acknowledged that there had been "exchanges" between himself and BlueCo officials.

Furthermore, Rosenior admitted that there had also been "a few light-hearted jokes" from a number of his Strasbourg players.

What happens next?

Everything points to Rosenior remaining in charge of Strasbourg for the game with Nice, an important fixture with Strasbourg now four points adrift of the top six in the Ligue 1 table.

That game kicks off at 6pm (GMT) on Saturday evening, almost 24 hours before Chelsea face Man City at the Etihad Stadium.

However, if Chelsea choose to appoint Rosenior as head coach, things could progress quickly ahead of Wednesday's West London derby at Rosenior's former club Fulham.

As the odds-on favourite with the majority of bookmakers, it could be a matter of days before Rosenior is appointed as Chelsea head coach, just over 18 months since being sacked by Championship side Hull City.