The savvy £75m double Chelsea raid that Man Utd could make this summer

Well, nobody saw that coming. Not really. It was supposed to be the final nail in Erik ten Hag’s coffin at Manchester United. Instead, maybe, just maybe, it could be the catalyst for an improbable redemption arc. On Saturday afternoon, the Dutchman’s temperamental Red Devils beat bitter rivals Manchester City to win the FA Cup. In the hours since, his tenure at Old Trafford has been the subject of much discussion and scrutiny, with the only certainty at the present moment in time being that things remain uncertain.

Some suggest that support for Ten Hag is growing, and the prospect of him staying at United burgeons accordingly. Others are convinced that he is doomed, and that any number of potential candidates could be parachuted in to replace him.

Right there amongst the long list of speculated names is that of Mauricio Pochettino - Chelsea manager until around this time last week. The Argentine departed Stamford Bridge by mutual consent, sparking a manhunt all of its own, and could now be available to swap one poisoned chalice for another.

If he does, he could look to bring a couple of Chelsea players with him. According to Football Insider, were Pochettino to join United in the coming days and weeks, he would be eager to sign both midfielder Conor Gallagher and centre-back Trevoh Chalobah. With a whole host of financial pressures looming, the Blues are said to be in ‘desperate need’ when it comes to offloading a number of senior players before June 30th, and the 24-year-old pairing are just as likely to depart as anybody. Despite featuring regularly under Pochettino last season, their homegrown status makes them appealing sacrifices for a club hoping to maximise value from their sales.

Likewise, United are expected to be busy in the transfer market, with claims from some quarters that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is willing to put the vast majority of the Red Devils’ first team squad up for sale. As such, an overhaul is anticipated, and the centre of both midfield and defence are expected to be areas of high priority on the recruitment front.

Gallagher in particular would feel like a genuine coup for a side in search of dynamism in their engine room, but Chalobah too has shown impressive form since returning from injury and establishing himself as a frequent starter under Pochettino in the latter stages of the campaign.

Factor in their familiarity with the former Chelsea manager, and the fact that they could be available for a combined fee of around £75 million, and a double swoop increasingly feels like a smart way of going some way towards rebuilding a United squad that has, for the most part, disappointed this season.

That being said, they do have that FA Cup to show for their endeavours, and there are no guarantees just yet that Ten Hag will be going anywhere. Firstly, that managerial quandary needs to be fixed before any kind of acquisitions can be properly thought about. Then again, even if Pochettino doesn’t arrive at Old Trafford this summer, perhaps United should consider signing Gallagher and Chalobah regardless.