Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has revealed some interesting information about his plans for the January transfer window.
Wilder is keen to strengthen his squad in the New Year as they look to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Going into Sunday’s game with Leicester City, the Blades are bottom of the table with one point and nine defeats from 10 games.
“There are not going to be any permanent transfers, they are going to be loans,” Wilder told Yorkshire Live.
“There have been discussions through agents and clubs.
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“There are a couple of positions I would like us to improve on, one you definitely know about (defender), to help us.”
How will Sheffield United plans work in January transfer window?
This is an big admission from Wilder, but not one that should change their plans too much.
The United boss has made no secret of his desire to sign a replacement for Jack O’Connell.
O’Connell could be back in training as early as February after having knee surgery. Yet in all honesty, the defender is unlikely to play again this season.
As things stand, two names keep cropping up to fill this void – Ben Davies and Diego Rico.
Preston North End’s Davies is out of contract next summer and unlikely to sign a new one. Like Rico at Bournemouth, he has been impressing on the left side of back three in the Championship this term.
The Blades may look to sign either one of them on loan with a view to buy. It was how the South Yorkshire club got around having more loanees in 2019/20 when they signed Panos Retsos and Richairo Zivkovic.
What are the loan rules?
The Premier League says teams cannot have more than two players registered on loan at any one time. And no more than four in total during the season.
United currently have one in Ethan Ampadu, who joined on a year-long deal from Chelsea.
They have the option to sign one more loanee from another English side. After that, they would have to utilise the international market as they did with Retsos and Zivkovic.
As for the other position Wilder is targeting, the logical guess would be a midfielder.
The Blades are pretty well stocked elsewhere in their squad, but someone with creativity in midfield would be a welcome addition.
