A Emotional Milestone when Rosenior Breaks Boundaries

"Liam Rosenior is a quality tactician that knows football intimately, which is what matters most.

"However, in my role as Chelsea's pioneering black player, I would be lying to claim this news fails to move me."

Those are the words expressed by the former Chelsea winger, the man who made his historic first appearance for the Blues' first team off the bench back in the spring of 1982.

On Tuesday, Chelsea hired RC Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, 41, to be their new head coach following the exit of manager Enzo Maresca.

The French club is within the multi-club ownership group that also controls Chelsea.

There have been a mere 12 of African or Caribbean heritage head coaches – not including those holding temporary caretaker positions – in the Premier League since its inception 34 years ago.

"What really strikes me about Liam is he was raised and developed his game not far from here, he knows this area," added Canoville.

"Whenever kids see a figure like Rosenior managing the team they support, someone they can identify with, who's from their ends, who comes from a family that champions equality… that's profound demonstrating the path is there.

"Indeed, this represents a huge step for the club, for London, for all young person dreaming big.

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

What Does the Data Indicate?

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

Twelve years later, by 2008, Paul Ince was appointed as the first black English manager in the Premier League after taking charge at Blackburn Rovers.

The Hammers' manager Nuno Espirito Santo is the only other present top flight gaffer of colour.

The scarcity of managers of colour throughout English football is matched by a lack of diversity in the boardroom.

According to the Black Footballers Partnership 2023 study, 43% of Premier League players come from African or Caribbean backgrounds.

However, research from the equality organization revealed just 3.2% of executive and leadership positions across most Premier League clubs are from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Regarding first-team coaching positions, according to data from 11 clubs, the percentage is two percent.

For all coaching roles – encompassing head coaches – from the same 11 clubs, the figure is five percent.

"He has undoubtedly made history in terms of his appointment as a Chelsea head coach, and we want to witness more such appointments," said Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor.

"It is acknowledged there is a wealth of ability that exists in the black and underrepresented groups... they want a chance to show their capabilities. We need to persist in work hard to break those barriers once and for all."

Additionally, the new appointee will become the fourth permanent British head coaches currently in the Premier League – joining Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Scott Parker – which trails the continent's other big five divisions in terms of homegrown representation.

Sixteen of the 20 first division coaches in Serie A are Italian, Eleven in La Liga in Spain, 12 of the 18 are German while Ten of the 18 are French.

Current Chelsea caretaker manager Calum McFarlane commented: "I have no doubt every aspiring British managers with a youth development pedigree are, to some degree no matter who you support, supporting Liam.

"It's really inspirational for up-and-coming British coaches in the system to witness someone get such a role with his background and we hope he does really well."

It is vital to remember – his appointment is on merit'

His father, Leroy, Liam's father, had a career with the likes of West London clubs, West Ham and Queens Park Rangers, and his managerial career peaked with a brief spell in charge of the third-tier club Brentford in 2006.

In 2019, he was awarded an MBE in that year's 2019 New Year Honours for services rendered to tackling inequality in football and wider society.

When Rosenior Jr retired from playing he followed his father's footsteps. He started penning a column for a national newspaper, where in 2017 he addressed the lack of diversity of black coaches. He highlighted that ethnicity does not determine coaching skill arguing that opportunities must be awarded based on qualification.

He further expressed the view he would repeat: how vast lack of diversity results in misunderstandings regarding footballers with diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.

In a podcast for a football podcast, he explained the way his star striker, Emmanuel Emegha, had been described as "hard to manage" and "passionate", noting that he understood the Netherlands international of Nigerian descent. Emegha is set to follow him with a move from Strasbourg to Chelsea this summer.

In further newspaper articles, Rosenior also admitted to being "ashamed" to hear a staff member utter a discriminatory remark. He pledged his support for the Rainbow Laces initiative and wrote an open letter to the former US President while he was in office, condemning his "overt" prejudice.

He has subsequently built his reputation in the dugout – first at Hull City, later at Strasbourg – with Wayne Rooney recently stating he was "among the best coaches I've ever worked with" following their collaboration with Derby.

The manager bid his farewells to his former club on Tuesday morning prior to putting pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Blues.

Chelsea boasted the top flight's first African heritage boss in Gullit as well as the first black skipper named Paul Elliott.

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