Chris Wilder sounds Sheffield United transfer message as Blades look to repeat successful trick of the past
Sheffield United are still waiting for their first signing of the summer, but Chris Wilder remains convinced that the Blades can still attract the calibre of player needed to mount a promotion push next term
Chris Wilder remains convinced that Sheffield United are still an attractive proposition for players in this summer transfer window, despite the disappointment of last season’s 13th-placed finish. The Blades’ co-owners squandered the opportunity to push for promotion again with a chaotic close season 12 months ago.
Although Wilder’s return in September saw him steady the ship and steer United away from trouble, after they lost their first six games of the season, they couldn’t quite make the next step and their season eventually petered out into mid-table.
The Blades chief has made no secret of his plans to rebuild his side once again this summer, with a number of players already moving on ahead of this week’s return to pre-season for testing.
But United are yet to make their first signing of the summer, since the market officially opened for business last Monday. The ongoing World Cup is expected to slow down the market somewhat, especially in the loan market that the Blades are shopping in this summer.
They have had historic success in that approach in the past, with the likes of Dean Henderson, Morgan Gibbs-White and James McAtee all advancing their careers via a spell in South Yorkshire in the not too distant past.
And Wilder is insistent that they can repeat that trick, with United still seen as an attractive destination for clubs and the players themselves. “We’ve earned respect,” he said. “I think the coaches and the football club have earned respect, in terms of the achievements over the last 10 years or so.
“The relationships that we've got with agents, with other clubs, with players. There'll be enough players who want to come and play, who’ll be attracted to this place. Without a shadow of a doubt.
“We’ve been working on that for a while but you can't measure charisma, character and personality. You can't measure that unless you have a one-to-one conversation and you have talks with people in the game like we have.
“I'll walk around the pitch with them and talk to them about the story, the journey. What the club's about, what we've done, what we're going to do. And hopefully the players will do the job that we expected of them [last] summer, and go again.”