Darren Bent advised Manchester United to raid Chelsea for Thomas Tuchel if he became available.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former striker attempted to sell the idea of Tuchel taking over the Old Trafford job.
In fairness, the United hierarchy probably don’t need much convincing.
They must have watched the transformation at Stamford Bridge over the past year with total jealousy.
Tuchel has thrown the Blues back to the very summit of elite European football, not to mention the periphery of Premier League glory.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils have toyed with the top four, made some excursions across the continent, but in general, their CV looks pretty bleak compared to the German’s.
Hence why the chain of command are reportedly monitoring Tuchel’s situation, waiting to see how the new ownership at Chelsea will influence his managerial position.
United’s search underway
United are on the lookout for a coach to permanently replace Ralf Rangnick, whose tenure will almost certainly expire at the end of the season.
A list of four names has seemingly been drawn up.
Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag, Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique are the leading candidates.
However, many who trek to the Theatre of Dreams regularly would certainly preference Tuchel as the new man in the dugout.
A sentiment repeated by Bent, who implored United to steal Chelsea’s chief.
“Thomas Tuchel is in a different bracket to those two, Ten Hag and Pochettino,” he said.
“Pochettino has gone to PSG and failed, you have to say. Gone out of the Champions League. Didn’t win the French league last season.
“Doesn’t look like he can handle big egos at all.
“Do you think that’s a failure?” asked Laura Woods.
“I think you’d say it would have to be. Thomas Tuchel went to PSG, got them to a Champions League final, won the league and he was called a failure. But he got them to the final,” continued Bent.
“But if you ask me, Thomas Tuchel is a top-class manager. He’s quite loyal to Chelsea but you never know what can happen when the takeover does happen.
“If there was an inkling that Manchester United could get Thomas Tuchel, I’d go all out to get him.”
Could Tuchel’s head be turned?
Without the looming vagueness hanging over Chelsea, there would be no chance of United taking Tuchel from their rival.
Yet, the current situation means pretty much anything could happen, including the departure of key figures from South West London.
Some might view Manchester as a promising project just waiting to hit the ground running.
A hobby to be turned into a full-time job. The car you never got round to fixing. That half-painted shed.
All could be restored if Tuchel is allowed to wave his magic wand.
Don’t even think about though, Thomas.
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