Chris Wilder isn’t shying away from Sheffield United transfer challenge - but make no mistake, he’s been let down by owners
Chris Wilder isn’t shying away from Sheffield United transfer challenge - but make no mistake, he’s been let down by owners
Chris Wilder has insisted he still believes in his Sheffield United side despite the fact they were unable to replace departing key man Callum O’Hare before tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline. The Blades sold O’Hare to Wrexham on the final day of the window but were not able to replace him.
They were always going to be up against it, with the added complication of a game at home to Bolton Wanderers hardly helping them out either. At full-time, after a dramatic 3-2 win, Wilder sprinted down the tunnel but there was no good news waiting for him when he switched on his phone.
United will have to go with what they’ve got at least until January, which many supporters will see as another negative move from owners Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy. The Blades have brought in over £20m this summer with the sales of O’Hare, Andre Brooks and Gus Hamer.
But those three also contributed to 60 per cent of United’s league goals last season and although he spoke about it diplomatically in his post-match press conference, the lack of an O’Hare replacement means that Rosen and Eltoukhy, in the eyes of many Unitedites, have let their manager down.
“He was a popular player for everyone,” Wilder said of O’Hare. “I didn't want to lose him, but the club accepted a bid and you've got to say Callum accepted the deal as well. So, I know there'll be certain opinions on the club: we bought him in for a free and sold him for really good money.
“The frustration was obvious, that we haven't got a lot of time to work in, but I was never going to sign anybody blind. I wanted to see them, I wanted to make sure that they had the attributes of a Sheffield United player, which you saw in abundance tonight.
“And I think it would be good to talk about the players that we've got now. Put the emotions to one side. Callum was fabulous for me, he moves on and we move on. And now it's up to me to get the best out of this group of players.
“Maybe I might need to find a different shape. We went into the game with Cal in the team, so that was obviously an awkward one, having to change the team round. But other players have to step up now, step up to the mark, especially at the top of the pitch.
“And there's been a lot of chat, there's been a lot of chat about that's our season done. There's been a lot of chat where we're going to find a goal from, and we've got to find the goal from somewhere. I still believe in the players that we've got, and if we have to change the formation in one way or the other and find little different roles for other players, that's up to me to do that.
“See if we can get into the next window in good shape and maybe look to fill the gap that Callum's left.”
The news of no more incomings brought Unitedites back down to earth quickly after Romelle Donovan’s last-minute winner gave them their first victory of the Championship season at home to Bolton Wanderers.
“Yeah, nothing was going to happen,” Wilder confirmed. “The recruitment boys have worked tirelessly, they're up there [at Shirecliffe] now, but I've switched my phone on and nothing's going to come out now. I'm not going to bring players in for the sake of it. No disrespect, we've done that and we're paying a little bit of a price for that in terms of players on the books that we're having to pay for weekly.
“So it's no good me just bringing a player in just for the sake of it, and I told Steve [Bettis, chief executive] that. I don't want to do that. I want to be part of the process, part of the overall process, that we look at players, we have a good deep dive on them and we bring players in that are going to make us better and not just bring a number in.”
Wilder got one of his wishes on the final day as the Blades signed Liam Kitching on loan from Coventry City, but O’Hare’s departure has just created another gaping hole elsewhere in his squad.
Asked if he was disappointed, he admitted: “Yeah, it's difficult. It's a difficult job when you're 1-0 down after 30 seconds. Nowhere to hide, but I'm stood at that technical area. That's how it is. You've got to take the rough with the smooth. You don't always get what you want and you have to deal with.
“I'm working for a brilliant club that I love and it’s part of the job. Everybody has it. Up and down the country, in Europe and worldwide. You have to deal with it.
“I'm a club man and I work for the club and try and get the best out of the players. I think, on the whole, it’s been a decent window. We've got good money for Brooksy, we replaced him with Rom, so we're working with Rom.
“Gus wanted to go, without a shadow of a doubt. Don't get sucked into all this, all the stuff about that. He wanted to go, so we had to get the best deal possible, which we did. And Callum could have said no, but we took that offer as well and we move on and we work with the players that we've got.
“And as I said, it's up to me and the players together, bring it all together, to fill that void and fill that gap. We were never, in my opinion, just about one player. We can never be just about one player at this football club. We're a team, and we have to work together towards making that team better and more consistent.”