Exclusive:'Go-time': Sheffield United man ready to seize chance after frustrating debut campaign amid fan message
Tahith Chong endured a frustrating first season at Bramall Lane after arriving in a £3m move from Luton Town, but the winger believes a confidence-boosting summer and a strong pre-season can help him make a much bigger impact this time around
Tahith Chong is desperate to make up for lost time at Sheffield United and show Blades fans what he is capable of after a frustrating first season at Bramall Lane. The winger arrived last summer in a £3m deal from Luton Town.
But a mixture of injury and fierce competition limited him to a bit-part role as he struggled to establish himself in the United side. A historic summer appearance at the World Cup with Curacao, who became the smallest nation to ever qualify for the tournament, has rejuvenated his confidence though.
And he has looked sharp in pre-season, finding the net twice within a couple of days against Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United. The summer departures of Andre Brooks and Chieo Ogbene have cleared the path for Chong on the right wing.
He will now compete with Romelle Donovan for a starting berth down the right and could get a chance to stake a claim this Sunday when the Blades open their competitive season away at Mansfield Town in the EFL Cup.
“I’ve really, really enjoyed being at this football club,” said Chong, speaking to The Star in Germany after last weekend’s goalless draw in Bochum. “Even though last year didn't go as we wanted to, which was disappointing.
“But you can see what type of club it is and how big the club is, so I've really enjoyed my time up to now and hopefully this season we'll kind of kick on. It’s go-time now, I think, for all of us really.
“We want to do well this season, especially after last season. We could see the fans, even last year, still cheering us on and still coming and the stadim’s still full. And you think: ‘They deserve better than what we showed last year.’
“So all of us, not only me, want to do well for the club and we want to do well for the fans. The club is still together, and I think that's important, moving forward, for the success of the club as well.
“Obviously they're going to play a massive part for us this season, home games and away games. When it gets tough, or once we have a team on the ropes and they make that extra noise to kind of force that ball over the net. So they're going to be massive for us, and hopefully we can give them something to cheer.”