Why Man Utd is still a better job than Chelsea even as the bin-fire rages | OneFootball

This time 12 months ago, Sean Dyche was sacked as Everton boss with David Moyes returning to the club.

The task for Moyes was straightforward enough: Ensure Everton were a Premier League club when they move into their shiny new stadium. A year later and Moyes has achieved that goal with Everton 12th in the Premier League and a feel-good factor around the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Now, two more managers have got new January jobs but identifying a clearly achievable goal for either is a far harder task than with Moyes at Everton.

Liam Rosenior has been given a laughable six-and-a-half-year deal at Chelsea having swapped desks in the BlueCo organisation while Darren Fletcher has been handed the reins at Manchester United, albeit it on a temporary basis.

Those two jobs are some of the most coveted in England and the world, but which is more appealing? Here’s a look at what Rosenior and the new United boss faces.

Man Utd v Chelsea: The structure

Let’s start with Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge club are owned by BlueCo, a primarily US-based consortium that was founded in 2022 to purchase Chelsea after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell. They are a multi-club group ownership having also purchased Strasbourg in 2023.

The chairman, and most public figure, is Todd Boehly while Behdad Eghbali is among the directors. While Boehly is often the man blamed for Chelsea’s latest mess, Eghbali is the one calling the shots and reportedly the man who was in constant disagreement with Enzo Maresca.

The MO of BlueCo has always been to buy some of the best young players in the world and then give them long contracts to amortise the costs and comply with PSR. Since BlueCo took over in 2022, no Premier League club has spent more money with around £1.49bn spent.

Given BlueCo only took over in 2022, the ultimate end goal of that project has yet to become clear. Are they looking to sell these players on for profit? Or do they believe they can win Premier League titles in three or four years’ time?

At Manchester United, things are not too dissimilar. In February 2024, Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS spent £1.3bn to take 29% of the club away from the Glazer family. While the Glazers continue to sit back and watch the dollars flow into their bank account, Ratcliffe has taken over football operations.

He appointed Omar Berrada as CEO, who previously worked for Manchester City owners the City Football Group while Jason Wilcox is director of football.

It is with Wilcox that Ruben Amorim reportedly had mounting disagreements, particularly when it came to transfers and the team’s tactical set-up.

While United’s hierarchy is perhaps not as dictatorial as Chelsea’s, it is expected that any new manager will have to appease Wilcox and Berrada if they are to stay in the job. United’s board also appear to cut their manager a bit more slack. Maresca left after saying he endured the worst ‘48 hours’ of his Chelsea career while Amorim was allowed a 15th-place finish, embarrassing cup exit to Grimsby and describing the team as the worst in the club’s history.

Man Utd v Chelsea: The players

Squad-wise, Chelsea are marginally better – look at the league table – but there are problems to be fixed for both sides.

United’s is currently a mix of good but ageing players and young talents still lacking experience. Senne Lammens has shored up the long-troubled area of goalkeeper but the use of Ayden Heaven in recent weeks has highlighted how injury-prone United’s main central defenders can be.

In midfield, both Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro are not getting any younger and Amorim’s insistence on strengthening this area is what reportedly cost him his job. A new manager may have a higher opinion of Kobbie Mainoo.

Up front, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have brought much-needed freshness but Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Sesko remain unconvincing.

For Chelsea, they play exactly like what they are – a young squad full of potential but lacking the experience to be consistent.

Moises Caicedo is one of the best midfielders in the league along with Enzo Fernandez, while Estevao looks like a star in the making. Cole Palmer is a former Player of the Year but struggled in 2025 and they have a lot of good if not great options up front in Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.

At the back, it is very youth-focused with Tosin Adarabioyo being the oldest member at 28.

All of that is to say that Chelsea’s squad have a lot of potential; it is just about how a new manager can get the best out of that and whether a more seasoned veteran is needed for others to flourish.

Man Utd v Chelsea: The history

When it comes to history, there is no debate. Manchester United are one of the most successful teams in the history of football with the trophy room to show for it.

Chelsea did win trophies before Abramovich’s takeover but they had only been league champions once before the Russian came in. The vast majority of their trophies, especially the more prestigious ones, have come this century.

In more recent years, Chelsea have become the more successful club with two Champions League wins since United last won the trophy and the same number of league titles. A Club World Cup and Conference League trophy completed the set for the London side and there is a reasonable debate to be had that Chelsea have been the most consistently successful English club of the 21st century.

But the lure of United, along with its millions of fans, is the possibility of being the first league-winning manager since Ferguson.

Football managers have often got themselves into this position by having an unshakeable self-belief and so, even if there is plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise, they will believe they can be the one that ‘fixes’ United.

Chelsea may be stronger on paper both in terms of squad and recent success, but it is that aspect that may sway a potential manager over to United.

Chelsea v Man Utd: Expectations

If you ask either club what their expectations are, the stock answer is ‘win the league’ because neither can be seen to be aiming for anything less. But in reality, a few spots below the top place would enable a manager to stay in post.

Of the two, the bar would appear to be higher at Chelsea. They have qualified for the Champions League in five of the last seven seasons and so simply finishing top four is perhaps not good enough. For Liam Rosenior arriving in mid-season, ensuring that is a must for this campaign but that expectation will be raised next year.

For a United manager, Champions League qualification, and the money that comes with it, would be a seen as success having done so just once in the past four years. Fletcher or Solskjaer stand a good chance of doing that with the club three points off Liverpool.

How they go about that also comes with expectations. Chelsea have a mode of business that relies on a manager getting the best out of young players and so Rosenior will have to accept that. The good news is that they are willing to get their chequebook out, albeit not for established world stars.

For United, it remains to be seen how much influence Wilcox and Berrada will seek to have post-Amorim with the Portuguese mostly given carte blanche. Until he didn’t. Transfer-wise, it seems to be a case of you will get what you’re given for both clubs.

Chelsea v Man Utd: The verdict

By almost all the metrics, Chelsea should be the more appealing of the two choices but the prospect of etching yourself into United history is what the club has been trying to sell for years.

Chelsea have gone with Rosenior but do not discount United being able to tempt another big name to Old Trafford.