Manager Chris Wilder has outlined the potential transfer plans for Sheffield United this summer.
It’s not clear how the market will work this year, with professional football in England indefinitely suspended currently due to the coronavirus pandemic.
No Premier League fixtures have taken place since March 13, but the plan remains to conclude them when it is safe to do so.
However, when that might be is unknown. There is every chance that games could be played when the transfer window is usually open in June and July.
Yet Wilder can’t stand still and needs to plan for the future regardless. The Blades are looking to build on an excellent return to the top flight.
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Before football was put on hold, Wilder’s men were seventh in the table with 43 points from 28 matches. They have a game in hand over those teams directly above them, which if they were to win, would see them rise to fifth.
What are the Sheffield United transfer plans for this summer?
(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Wilder, head of recruitment Paul Mitchell, and the rest of the scouting staff are already looking at who they could potentially sign.
United have been praised for their transfer policy since the 52-year-old became boss almost four years ago. Many of the players who have been so important this term have risen through the divisions with the club.
Jack O’Connell has played every minute of league action in 2019/20. The defender was signed that first summer after Wilder took charge and the Blades were in League One. It is the same story with top scorer John Fleck.
Chris Basham and Billy Sharp were already at Bramall Lane when Wilder was appointed. George Baldock, Enda Stevens and John Lundstram joined following their promotion to the Championship. The list goes on.
So while Wilder has turned to the foreign market this year with the additions of Sander Berge, Panos Retsos and Richairo Zivkovic, the lower leagues remain an option for new talent.
“We’re talking about signing players, again, from a mentality point of view,” he told Sky Sports.
“This is the Premier League, not League One, but we still want strong characters. Players who want to prove themselves. Players who want to achieve and want to get to the top of the mountain.
“From a recruitment point of view, we are looking at our options and, in some cases, that still means players who have done very, very well in League Two, League One and the Championship who might be of interest to us in the summer.
“We’re looking at position-specifics to see if these players fit our model. We don’t want to waste any time.”
