Report names five Chelsea players Man Utd will try to sign if Graham Potter replaces Erik ten Hag
Graham Potter is an option for Man Utd job if Erik ten Hag gets the sack
Claims that Graham Potter is being lined up for the Manchester United job if the club decides to call time on Erik ten Hag has seen a speculative report name five of his former Chelsea players he could look to reunite with at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman helped ease some of the pressure on his shoulders over the weekend with a deserved, if not somewhat nervy, 2-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane with Diogo Dalot’s excellent strike ultimately sealing the win for Manchester United. However, that still means the club has won just six of their 12 matches in all competitions so far – and six defeats so far still means it is the club’s worst start to a season since 1986.
As a result, it’s not a surprise to see the heat cranked up on Ten Hag with one pundit recently explaining why he had made the Red Devils worse and naming a player he feels somehow manages to avoid criticism.
As it stands, United’s board remains very much behind the Ten Hag regime with off-field circumstances around the long-drawn out takeover process and a simmering feud with Jadon Sancho making his job unneccessarily harder than it needed to be.
To that end, it would come as a surprise were Ten Hag to be dismissed any time soon.
However, he undoubtedly remains under scrutiny especially in light of their bleak return in the Champions League that has yielded two straight defeats and a worrying seven goals conceded across those two games so far.
Now in light of a must-win match against FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, doubts on Ten Hag’s future has seen former Chelsea boss Potter surprisingly linked with the role.
READ MORE ~ Premier League sack race: Ten Hag third with Spanish coach climbing to second
Potter to target five Chelsea players for Man Utd – report
His reputation took a bit of a battering during a difficult six-month spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.
However, he is still regarded as one of the Premier League’s best coaches and is expected to claim a top job when the time does come for him to make his return.
To that end, Potter recently turned down the chance to take the Rangers vacancy, since filled by Philippe Clement, while Leeds United were also linked with the 48-year-old over the summer and prior to their appointment of Daniel Farke.
Now it’s reported that Potter is the man most likely to take charge at United if Ten Hag is fired and with new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe a major fan of the former Brighton boss.
As a result, the Daily Express speculates that were to happen, Potter could look to raid his former club Chelsea by trying to sign five players for United.
Transfers from Stamford Bridge to Old Trafford are a fairly well-trodden path in recent years with Mason Mount, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata all swapping London for Salford in recent years.
And the report suggests that his first priority will be to sign a new left-back with both Ian Maatsen and Marc Cucurella among his possible targets.
The Spaniard held talks with United over the summer and came close to a loan move before they instead opted for Tottenham’s Sergio Reguilon.
Maatsen, meanwhile, is being courted by a series of top sides with Chelsea ready to trigger a contract extension in an effort to protect his value.
Gallagher, Broja also linked with Man Utd transfers
Staying in the defence, it’s claimed Potter could also look to bring in Trevoh Chalobah with TEAMtalk recently reporting that the player has been told he is free to leave Chelsea in the January window. Bayern Munich are currently leading the chase for the academy product, while West Ham and Tottenham are also among his suitors.
In midfield, it’s claimed Potter remains a huge fan of Conor Gallagher, whom figured regularly under him at Stamford Bridge. The England man was the subject of a massive offer from Tottenham over the summer with the offer being turned down with Mauricio Pochettino also keen to work with the 23-year-old, who has 11 appearances so far this season.
Rated in the £40m – £50m bracket, it would come as a huge shock were Chelsea to allow his sale, and especially to Manchester United.
And finally, it’s suggested Potter could also look to prise away Armando Broja, who has found life difficult breaking into the Chelsea first-team since his breakthrough season on loan at Southampton.
The 22-year-old has 23 appearances for Chelsea, but has only managed to score on two occasions, suggesting he is perhaps not that highly-rated by the Blues hierarchy.
And with Chelsea looking to sign a big-name striker in the January window – Victor Osimhen has been strongly linked – it does seem possible they could be persuaded to cash in on the 17-times capped Albanian striker.
United do need extra firepower with only Rasmus Hojlund (three) and Marcus Rashford (one) getting on the scoresheet among their attacking options so far this season.
