Chelsea sanctions could be ‘ideal opportunity’ for Manchester United - Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher has said Manchester United could capitalise on the current turmoil at Chelsea, saying it’s an ‘ideal opportunity’ for them to poach their manager, Thomas Tuchel.
Image credit: PA Images Carragher sees an opportunity for Man Utd to jump onOn Thursday morning, it was announced that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the British Government.
This means the proposed sale of the club is now on ice, while fans can no longer buy future tickets as part of a special license Chelsea have been given to continue operating.
Furthermore, all merchandising is no longer permitted while their travel budget is also subject to a cap.
Shirt sponsor 'Three' have also suspended their deal, while the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen will not be allowed to re-sign.
This uncertainty is far from ideal and writing in his Daily Telegraph column, Carragher said United could profit.
He wrote, "Manchester United have been presented with the ideal opportunity to recruit the manager who should be their number one target: Thomas Tuchel.
"Given the events at Chelsea, United’s decision to wait until the end of the season presents them with a choice no-one could have foreseen.
"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.
"United can offer him the security and backing every top coach craves. 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.
"Every chief executive in the world looking for a new coach will be – or at least should be – monitoring Tuchel’s mood and public comments between now and the end of the season.
"Only clubs of a certain calibre could attract him. It would be negligent of United to fail to sound him out. As a coach, he is exactly what they need."
United’s current interim coach Ralf Rangnick also has a relationship with Tuchel, with the Chelsea boss citing him as a key influence in his career.
Carragher added, "Let’s not forget that his mentor - Ralf Rangnick - is in temporary charge. If United are as keen to retain Rangnick’s services in an advisory capacity as they claimed when recruiting him - and they ask him who should take over - who will he tell them to call?"