Chris Wilder addresses Harrison Burrows' Sheffield United future as potential January transfer dilemma looms
What Chris Wilder said about Harrison Burrows transfer interest as Sheffield United weigh up potential January dilemma
Chris Wilder, the Sheffield United manager, has suggested that he would be reluctant to lose left-back Harrison Burrows this January amid transfer interest from Turkish side Trabzonspor - but is realistic enough to know that every player has a price. The surprise transfer link emerged earlier this week, with talk of an initial £3.5m bid being knocked back.
The report, from Sky Sports, went on to suggest that a further offer of £5m was being prepared for the former Peterborough United left-back, who was a key man in United’s run to the play-off final last season but has faced a fight for his place this term with Sam McCallum.
Despite the speculation over his future, Burrows was part of the United side that was knocked out of the FA Cup by League One side Mansfield Town yesterday at Bramall Lane and, like the rest of United’s starting XI, did not exactly give Wilder too much to think about ahead of this weekend’s Championship return at Charlton Athletic.
But losing him would undoubtedly weaken United’s squad at a time when Wilder is keen to strengthen, ahead of what he hopes will be a climb up the table in the second half of the season. Asked about the situation with the 23-year-old left back, Wilder said: “There's talk about it but nobody's really come to me and said: ‘What do you think?’
“ I don't want to lose any players but understanding that if something does come, and everybody thinks it's right or from a financial point of view ... but I'm trying to build and Harrison has been and is part of that.
“At the moment, he's having a battle with Sammy. He won that battle last year and Sammy's winning that battle this season. So he's got a fight on his hands to push and get into the team but he's still a young player, and still somebody we want around the place. .
“If the time comes where the owners and the chief exec say: ‘We really have to consider this,’ then I'd like to think I'd be part of that discussion.”
Burrows signed a deal until the summer of 2028 when he arrived from London Road last summer and so United are in the driving seat in terms of his future. But the COH Sport ownership group will be wary of a potential summer situation where, if the Blades are still in the Championship next season, the end of the Premier League parachute payments will leave a big hole in the Bramall Lane books.
That will have to be filled somehow, either by the sale of players, reduction in the club’s player outlay or investment from the owners - or a mix of all three.