With the January transfer window now closed, Sheffield United manager, Chris Wilder, will be delighted with his signings.
As well as splashing a record £22m on Sander Berge, Wilder also added four other new faces.
Jack Robinson and Jack Rodwell both arrived earlier in the window. Then, on deadline day, the Blades boss moved to sign Richairo Zivkovic and Panos Retsos as the club branched into foreign markets.
Sander Berge was one of a number of January signings for Chris Wilder. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
It proved a hugely successful January for Wilder and his staff. Furthermore, it has given the Blades fans another lift in what is already a remarkable and memorable season for them.
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And speaking following the win over Crystal Palace at the weekend, Wilder explained how his new boys are already having a big impact on proceedings at Bramall Lane.
“It gave everybody a lift,’ Wilder said. (Daily Mail)
“When you bring in people in January, it raises the bar for the other players. It certainly has done this week and it will do going into the second part of the season.
‘We’ve got genuine competition all over the park and players have got to rise to that challenge.”
The United gaffer had been vocal all January about the need to strengthen his ranks. Wilder is not one to rest on his laurels and, after signing a new deal himself, will have been delighted to see his board back him in the market.
Chris Wilder signed a new deal with Sheffield United a few weeks back. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Indeed, after admitting the club is in an excellent place as things stand, Wilder once again called for progression.
“The key is to not pat yourself on the back. A lot of good things are happening at the football club but we’ve got to keep going on to the next challenge,” Wilder added.
The Blades won 1-0 at Crystal Palace and now sit sixth in the table.
The perfect boost in the perfect season
Whatever happens between now and the end of this season, this campaign has been right up there with the best ever for Blades fans.
Unbeaten in London on their away trips, United have lost only seven games all season. Furthermore, five of those losses have come against Man City, Liverpool, or Leicester City. All three, of course, are challenging for the top four.
That’s why signing new players like Wilder has done is a perfect boost for the club. For once, United have acted to bring players in and not simply sell in January.
It highlights, as we have said so many times on this site, just how big the change has been at the club since Wilder arrived.
