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According to London Evening Standard, Manchester United are prepared to pay £34million to land the services of Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has inevitably made himself an impressive candidate for the Old Trafford job on a permanent basis, but it’s claimed United won’t simply retain the Norwegian based on cost – they’re prepared to shell out what would be a massive sum in managerial terms.

Indeed, we rarely hear of managers attracting that kind of amount in compensation, their equivalent of transfer fees, so Football FanCast’s writers answer a simple question – is United’s big-money managerial target really worth that much?

Billy Meyers

“Unquestionably. In this day and age, where players are going for over £100million and not even making a significant impact on the pitch (see Philippe Coutinho at Barcelona), paying such a tiny fee in comparison for a man who has no element of risk about him seems like a no-brainer. Pochettino would transform Manchester United, and the reported £34m fee will seem like peanuts in a few years – if Tottenham were to accept such an offer, they will live to regret it.”

Harry Sherlock

“Absolutely. Pochettino has turned Spurs into title contenders, he’s taken them into the Champions League and he’s proved that Spurs can best the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. The performance in the Camp Nou against Barcelona – a brave 1-1 draw, inspired by some bold tactics – was very United-like. Spending £34million on a new manager is better than splashing out a similar amount on a player who may or may not adapt to Old Trafford. Pochettino surely would. And that’s not to mention the fact that he might want to take the likes of Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld with him…”

James Beavis

“He is without a shadow of a doubt. Pochettino would galvanise Manchester United as a whole, from the hierarchy down to the players and the fans. He would get the team picking up results while improving the players that he has, rather than the club needing to delve into the transfer market so often buying players like Alexis Sanchez. In short, the Argentine is the manager that can bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford, and while £34million would be a huge outlay, there is no reason why he couldn’t be at United for the next 10 years.”

Will Jones

“Of course he is. He’s made Spurs a regular Champions League side – even title contenders. In his almost five campaigns in north London, he has utterly transformed the club. United were willing to spend almost £50million on Fred. By those standards, Pochettino should be worth as much to them as Neymar is to PSG. The Argentine coach is just what’s needed at Old Trafford, and United should not let a relatively measly price tag prevent them from taking this necessary forward step.”