Why Chelsea need to act fast to beat Man United to bargain free agent transfer

Yesterday, something everyone in German football knew was coming was finally made official – Jonathan Tah, one of the key cogs in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2023/24 ‘invincible’ team, is leaving the Bundesliga side on a free transfer this summer. A massive bidding war now seems imminent.

The 29-year-old, who has 35 caps for his country and who has spent a decade at Leverkusen since joining from Hamburg in 2015, will be one of the most in-demand free agents of the summer transfer window and a string of elite European sides are expected to make offers – but why should Chelsea move heaven and earth to sign him, and why might Manchester United be better off looking elsewhere?

Chelsea and Manchester United among sides that may bid for Jonathan Tah

For a year now, rumours have continually linked Tah with a move away from Leverkusen, with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid all linked at various times – while both Manchester United and Chelsea have also been suggested as sides that could be keen on the titanic defender since last summer.

Both Premier League teams have concerns about their cash flow and their capacity to remain with the bounds of the top flight’s profit and sustainability rules, so it would be unsurprising to see them making an offer now that Tah is available for free.

Not that he will come cheap. His signing on a Bosman may mean that there isn’t a transfer fee to pay, which helps significantly with the PSR calculations, but as is often the case with free agents, he will likely demand a very high wage to go alongside a substantial signing-on fee. His agent will expect a cut, too.

Still, there will be a lengthy enough queue of clubs who have at least some interest. Tah himself has not publicly stated whether he has made his mind up about his destination yet, announcing only that he planned to leave Leverkusen and telling reporters that he “didn’t have a time window” to make a decision on his future.

Manchester United are known to be looking to rebuild their squad to suit new head coach Ruben Amorim and to try and reverse their slide down the table, but wish significant cash flow issues stemming from the Glazers’ long tenure in charge, any chances to sign high-quality players on free transfer are liable to appeal, especially with Lisandro Martínez out.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were occasionally connected with a bid for Tah during last summer and autumn, but no discussions between the Blues and Leverkusen are believed to have taken place.

They are keen to sign a new centre-half this summer, and had appeared to be prioritising Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi – but Tah would weigh in at around £60m cheaper up front, which may make him a player that Chelsea move for. After two years of substantial spending under Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, they need to tread carefully around the Premier League’s financial rules.

The early favourite to sign Tah seems to be Barcelona (another club navigating endemic economic issues) but it’s likely that Bayern Munich and others will reach out to find out what Tah would want to be paid – but would the German suit either of the Premier League sides most likely to enter the race?

Why Tah might suit Chelsea more than Manchester United

While a defender of Tah’s quality being available on a free means that a lot of teams will share an interest in signing him, that doesn’t make him an ideal fit for every team’s system or scheme – not that Tah isn’t a fine all-round defender.

Able to play on the right of a back three or as a right-sided centre-half in a back four, Tah’s immense physical presence and his ability to mark opponents out of the game while winning one-on-ones means that there aren’t many teams who wouldn’t appreciate his qualities.

But on a granular level, there are some ways in which his specific skill set might not suit Amorim’s methods at Manchester United. Partly, that’s because Amorim wants mobile wide centre-halves who are comfortable carrying the ball out of defence, and that’s one of Tah’s few weaknesses.

Tah does offer some excellent vertical passing and is more than capable of operating as a springboard for quick counter-attacks, but with United playing short-handed in central midfield under Amorim, it makes more sense for them to prioritise signing defenders who can make their own way up the field, as forward passing options will often be limited when the ball is won along the back line.

Amorim’s system, in short, would neither maximise Tah’s qualities nor be best served by having a defender who wasn’t willing to take the ball into midfield himself, and there’s also a concern that signing Tah would limit Leny Yoro’s opportunities to develop given that they would naturally be competing for the same slot. Enzo Maresca’s methods at Chelsea, however, would not have the same shortcomings.

It’s the right side of the centre-back pairing which needs addressing in the off season, with Levi Colwill earmarked as the long-term solution on the left, so Tah should slot in without creating any tensions – and his means of distributing possession from the back should suit Chelsea’s three-man midfield system better.

That’s especially true given that Maresca plays with a high line and looks to have his side spring quick counter-attacks, which matches up neatly with the way Tah plays – and the way Leverkusen play, too, where he was so integral.

Of course, Chelsea may not appeal to Tah, especially if they fail to secure Champions League qualification. The defender may well have his heart set on Barcelona or Bayern, and the comparison between United and Chelsea could be entirely moot. But either side would be well-advised to at least ask the question, and to contemplate whether Tah would improve their side next season.