Why Tuchel heading to Man Utd next season isn't as bizarre as it sounds
FT Desk
- 10 Mar 2022 17:52 GMT
- 6 min read
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is known for outlandish remarks but his latest suggestion may top them all.
In his weekly column for the Telegraph, the former England defender suggested that Manchester United should strike right at the heart of Chelsea’s current fiasco and swoop in for manager Thomas Tuchel.
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“Manchester United have been presented with the ideal opportunity to recruit the manager who should be their number one target: Thomas Tuchel,” said Carragher.
“Yes, it will seem a predatory move – taking advantage of Chelsea’s crisis – but from United and Tuchel’s perspective the more you consider it, the more of a no-brainer it is.”
He added: “Tuchel, like everyone else at Stamford Bridge, will have no idea what the future holds at his current club.
“No-one can offer him any assurances about how the squad will look at the start of next season given the club’s sale is on hold.’’
“No manager wants to be working amid such a background of uncertainty. If he gets the chance to leave for a club of United’s stature, he must take it.”
However, as bizarre as it may seem, Carragher makes a very good point and there are actually plenty of reasons as to why Tuchel may jump ship for Man Utd this summer.
The Rangnick link
Perhaps the most important factor in all of this is that Man Utd currently employ Tuchel’s former mentor, Ralf Rangnick, who will likely be heading up the Old Trafford side’s search for a new manager in the summer.
Not only did Rangnick introduce Tuchel to coaching after convincing him to hang up his boots and become a youth coach at Stuttgart, but his style of play has also had a huge influence on how the current Chelsea manager’s team have always played.
While Man Utd may have seemed like a risky option for Tuchel before Rangnick arrived, they’re now a club being run by a man the Chelsea manager not only respects but will undoubtedly trust. And that could prove very appealing.
He won’t have any better options
If Tuchel is forced to leave Chelsea this summer through one reason or another, there’s a very good chance that Man Utd may be the only appealing top-tier job that is up for grabs.
As things currently stand, Manchester City have Pep Guardiola, Liverpool have Jurgen Klopp, Bayern Munich have Julian Nagelsmann, Juventus look set to stick by Massimiliano Allegri and there’s little chance of Barcelona and Real Madrid parting ways with Xavi and Carlo Ancelotti in the summer.
The only other super club besides Man Utd that may be shopping around for a new manager will likely be Paris Saint-Germain, and it’s highly unlikely that Tuchel will be keen to return to his former club in a hurry.
As such, if the German coach hopes to jump straight into a new job after Chelsea this year, Man Utd may be his only viable short-term option.
