Chris Wilder has insisted that any new contract offer made to him will be down to the club approaching him and not the other way around.
Chris Wilder signed a new contract with Sheffield United in the summer. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
The Blades boss only signed a new deal at Bramall Lane in the summer. Wilder penned a three-year contract in July after leading his boyhood club to the Premier League.
However, following United’s brilliant start to life in the top-flight, some fans have called on the club to follow the likes of Leicester City and Brighton and Hove Albion. The Foxes and the Seagulls have both handed long-term deals to Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter.
But, speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa, Chris Wilder says the situation with him is similar to the strategy he uses when it comes to player’s contracts.
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“I’ve always said to the players that we’ll come to them when it comes to contracts. The same then goes to us as staff,” Wilder said (James Shield, Sheffield Star).
However, Wilder did elaborate a bit further on the previous deal he signed. He noted that previous contract signings were ‘renegotiations’ rather than new deals per se.
Laying down a marker
Sheffield United fans are well within their right to ask for Wilder to be handed a new contract. The job he has done has been remarkable and the start to Premier League has only further underlined his importance to the club.
Some Sheffield United fans are calling on Chris Wilder to be handed a new contract. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
However, it’s a fine line to tread and one the club must navigate carefully. There’s still a long way in the season to go. Furthemore, Wilder was only just rewarded with a new deal in the summer. The club could risk setting a dangerous precedent if they do jump the gun, with players potentially getting wind and trying their own luck for new deals.
Based on past experience, especially with Mark Duffy, it’s hard to see this current crop of players trying that sort of act on, however.
Chris Wilder does deserve a new contract but, as he rightly points out, that is down to the club to sort out. Wilder, along with Alan Knill, will simply keep their heads down and keep working hard for the club.
