Ben Mee makes Sheffield United priority clear as Premier League veteran joins Bramall Lane transfer spree
Ben Mee makes Sheffield United priority clear as Premier League veteran joins Bramall Lane transfer spree
Ben Mee is relishing the chance to impart his experience on Sheffield United’s young squad as they look to turn their terrible start to the season around after the international break. The 35-year-old former Brentford and Burnley centre-half signed a one-year deal at United on deadline day, after a spell training with the Blades.
His capture, and that of fellow defender Mark McGuinness, signalled the end of Jack Robinson’s time at Bramall Lane, the former Liverpool man joining Birmingham City after an agreement with the Blades’ Championship rivals was struck before the 7pm deadline.
A hectic deadline day saw four new arrivals come through the door, in Alex Matos, Chieo Ogbene, McGuinness and Mee, but the latter had spent the last couple of weeks training at Shirecliffe before the decision was made to offer him a deal.
Yeah, it’s great to finally be a Sheffield United player,” Mee said. “I’ve been here two two weeks and I’ve really enjoyed the training, being around the team and the group. The atmosphere can be better with the results that haven’t been going our way, but hopefully that’s going to turn around.
“It’s a really good group here, really full of talent. It’s a young group, and hopefully I can add a bit of experience to that. I had a really good feeling around the place. I didn’t play many games last year. I was training the whole way through the season.
“I’ve just been doing plenty on my own and in a little small group. but coming into a bigger group and actually getting that training in was massive for me. Having the opportunity, that was great for me.”
Ben Mee makes Sheffield United priority clear as Premier League veteran joins Bramall Lane transfer spree
With more than 400 senior appearances under his belt, the majority of which came in the Premier League, Mee has been earmarked for a key role at United both on and off the pitch. A wealth of experience has left Bramall Lane this summer, with the likes of Robinson and Kieffer Moore moving elsewhere in the Championship and a younger core, such as McGuinness and Matos, arriving.
“I’ve come here to try and get into the team, first and foremost,” Mee added. “I want to play. I want to do well for the club and the group, and use my experience and what I’ve learned over the years to bring on some of these young lads as well.
“It’s a young group and I know my role now these days, as a bit of an older pro. But that hunger is still there to do well, that motivation to train well and and live right. And, like I say, finish my career off well and positively.”
Mee joins a United group reeling from a poor start to the season that has seen them lose all five of their matches since Ruben Selles took the helm earlier this summer following Chris Wilder’s departure.
But a late window transfer spree has changed the mood a little amongst the club’s fanbase, with optimism that they can turn things around after the international break - starting with a tough trip to Ipswich Town a week on Friday.
“You can see lads talking around the group and getting excited now at players coming in,” Mee added. “I think it’s been a quiet summer, the majority of the time, for the group, which probably lacked a few numbers.
“But now the squad’s growing. It’s building and we’ll get our positivity up and get some points on the board, I’m sure. For me it’s about training, and keeping working hard. I’ve had enough time away from the group, from the club. So I want to get in, get a couple of good sessions under my belt and be ready for the first game back on Friday.”