New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has been convicted of speeding after missing a speed awareness course due to travel disruption caused by fog, just days after his appointment at the Premier League club.
The 41-year-old admitted he was driving the vehicle when it was recorded travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone on Rykneld Road in Littleover, Derbyshire, at 11.41 am on July 7.
Rosenior had been offered the opportunity to avoid prosecution by completing a speed awareness course, but failed to attend the arranged session. In a written statement to Derby Magistrates’ Court, he explained that flight delays forced him to remain abroad overnight, preventing him from joining the course as scheduled.
“I had to stay another night and be on a plane the next day during the time of the course,” Rosenior said, adding that the situation was beyond his control.
“Unfortunately, the course could not be fulfilled due to unforeseen circumstances. Understandably, I have to accept the situation as is,” he added.
The case was dealt with under the single justice procedure, with a magistrate convicting Rosenior on January 2 and ordering him to pay a total of £1,052 in fines, costs and court fees.
Rosenior’s conviction comes shortly after his appointment as Chelsea head coach, following the departure of Enzo Maresca. The former Strasbourg manager was unveiled on Tuesday as the club’s new boss.
Speaking previously in France, Rosenior acknowledged that the move represented a significant step up in his managerial career.
“The reality is Strasbourg is not on the same level as Chelsea,” he said at a press conference at the French club, which Chelsea’s parent company, BlueCo, also owns. “There are certain clubs you just cannot turn down.”
London-born Rosenior, who enjoyed a 16-year playing career in England, began his coaching journey at Derby County, where he was appointed interim manager. He later took on his first permanent managerial role at Hull City, guiding the Championship side close to the play-offs before being dismissed after 18 months due to what the club’s owner described as differences in footballing philosophy.
Chelsea confirmed that Rosenior has signed a six-and-a-half-year contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2032.
Describing the role as the fulfilment of a long-held ambition, Rosenior said managing a “world-class” club was something he had always dreamed of.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “If I didn’t think I was ready, I wouldn’t have accepted it.”
Rosenior becomes Chelsea’s fourth permanent head coach since owners BlueCo took control of the club in 2022, following Maresca’s dismissal on New Year’s Day—a deterioration in his relationship with bosses.