Following the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Leicester City, manager Chris Wilder appeared to call out certain Sheffield United players about their contracts.
Wilder was very unhappy with the performance at the King Power Stadium, calling his team “League One/Championship”.
However, amongst the rant from the Blades boss he seemed to allude to contract issues with some members of his squad.
“I don’t think they’re thick. I think they’re quite bright,” Wilder told the club’s media in his post-match interview at Leicester.
“They’re quite bright when they want to come and see you about contracts. They’re right on the ball for that one and other bits and pieces.
“And when they need days off and they don’t need days off. They’re quite bright footballers.”
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Which Sheffield United contracts is Wilder referring to?
According to the Yorkshire Post, there are three United players who have been offered new deals but are yet to sign them.
They are Chris Basham, John Egan and John Lundstram.
Both Basham and Lundstram have now entered the final year of their current contracts at Bramall Lane, with the latter having a 12-month extension recently activated. Egan, meanwhile, is tied down until 2022.
All three began talks about extending their stay in South Yorkshire before football was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During that time discussions were put on hold, but they have since restarted.
Successful negotiations have recently been concluded with David McGoldrick, Ollie Norwood and Billy Sharp; who have all put pen to paper on new deals.
Yet while offers are on the table for Basham, Egan and Lundstram, nothing has been signed. And Wilder says the club won’t wait forever.
“We left the offers out there and we’re in the negotiation phase,” the 52-year-old said.
“I’ve mentioned a lot of times that I have a responsibility to the football club. Yes, the players want the best deals for them and that’s understandable. But there is a limit to how far we’ll go.”
Wilder continued: “We’re hopeful (the three players will stay) but if players don’t re-sign, then we’ll do the right thing by the football club.”
Talks with Lundstram have been rolling on for some time and Wilder is said to have grown frustrated. Meanwhile, Basham has been linked with a move to Burnley or Newcastle United.
Egan has previously admitted he has started negotiations and praised both the club and Wilder. Yet until pen is put to paper, the future of all three remains uncertain.