Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior, reportedly Chelsea’s first-choice target to replace Enzo Maresca, has said he is paying no “notice” to transfer rumours linking him to the Premier League club.

Maresca left Chelsea on Thursday with the team struggling in fifth place after winning just one of their last seven league matches. The Italian manager had reportedly also held talks with Manchester City about succeeding Pep Guardiola.

Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo, have been impressed by Rosenior’s work in his first season, guiding the side to a seventh-place finish in Ligue 1.

“I don’t take notice. If you’re a manager and you take notice of what’s being said in the media, you will probably go crazy,” Rosenior said ahead of Strasbourg’s Saturday trip to Nice.

“My job is here. I love this club. I’m working to win the game tomorrow. Of course, I’m aware there’s speculation, but I think that’s a reflection of the great work everyone has done at this football club.”

When asked whether he would still be at Strasbourg in six months’ time, Rosenior was more cautious.

“You cannot guarantee anything in life. In terms of interest from other clubs, I’ve had a lot of interest and a lot of approaches, which I’ve always been open about with the club,” he said.

“My focus is always on the job I am doing. But to say I’m definitely going to be somewhere or definitely going to do something, I don’t think that’s right — in life, things happen.”

Rosenior began his managerial career full-time at Hull City in November 2022, taking over with the club 21st in the Championship after losing 10 of their first 18 matches. Under his guidance, Hull lost just six more games and finished 15th, improving to seventh the following season.

He then moved to Strasbourg, leading the club into European competition in his first season. This campaign, Strasbourg sit seventh in Ligue 1 and top their Europa Conference League group.