Chris Wilder busts Sheffield United myth and identifies this summer's biggest transfer challenge

In what proved a fascinating and revealing interview, Wilder also confronted and exorcised many of the myths which surrounded the end of his hugely successful reign at Bramall Lane; confirming that he was content to work within the budget he was handed by its board of directors despite suggestions to the contrary.

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Having guided United from League One to the Premier League within the space of three seasons, Wilder then led them to a ninth placed top-flight finish in 2019/20 with many observers insisting only the Covid-19 pandemic prevented his squad from qualifying for Europe.

With membership of the PL worth a minimum of £170m - a figure which rises if an immediate return to the Championship is avoided - Wilder acknowledged it is important to “work to a plan” but noted: “The money that comes in is not a reward. It’s there to be spent because they (the PL) want you to be competitive.”

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Wilder left United two years ago, amid claims that a difference of opinion over how the revenues they generated during his time at the helm should be distributed contributed to his departure.

Citing how the PL’s financial landscape, which bears no resemblance to the ones across the English Football League, meant it was inevitable that United would break their transfer record on several occasions after going up, Wilder continued: “For Sheffield United, spending £3.5m in the Championship on John Egan was a very big deal. Then to spend £20m on Oli McBurnie, a young player who had done brilliantly in the Championship, that was a very big deal of course.”

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“There were no internal battles,” he added, speaking to Radio Five Live. “I was given a budget and I was happy to work to it. I was comfortable. The record was broken (on several occasions) because it had been 13 years since United had last been in the Premier League.”

Paul Heckingbottom, who took charge of United when Wilder’s successor Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked, is thought to have around £20m to spend on recruiting new players. This means much of his focus is likely to be on the free transfer or loan markets, with Everton’s Mason Holgate and Manchester City duo Tommy Doyle and James McAtee among his targets.

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Wilder, who was responsible for bringing Heckingbottom to United after petitioning for him to be placed in charge of their renowned youth programme, warned the price tag attached to players is not the biggest hurdle clubs either returning to the PL or experiencing it for the first time must overcome.

“Because there are savvy chief executives, the fees get spread over a few years,” he said. “So the initial outlay isn’t what you see. It’s not that big. It’s the wages, that’s where you see the difference.”

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