'Not many better...' - What Sheffield United can expect from Kieffer Moore after Bournemouth transfer
Sheffield United fans told what to expect from Kieffer Moore as AFC Bournemouth switch edges closer
Sheffield United fans have been told that their side are signing one of the best No.9s in the Championship this season after a move for Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore edged closer. The Welsh international could be unveiled as United’s latest signing of the summer this week after progress was made in the deal over the weekend.
Moore was under contract for another season at Bournemouth and is seen as a real key piece of the promotion puzzle by United, having helped Ipswich Town reach the Premier League last season while on loan. A number of other second-tier sides were also keen on Moore, including Hull City and his former club Cardiff, but the Blades look to have won the race bar any late and unforeseen hiccups.
Chris Wilder, the Blades boss, was tight-lipped about the Moore speculation after Saturday’s friendly win over York City but will be delighted when the 6ft 5in forward checks in at Bramall Lane. And to get the inside track on Moore we spoke to Tom Crocker, the chief sportswriter at the Bournemouth Daily Echo who covers the Cherries’ fortunes.
What is Kieffer Moore like as a player, and a person?
“Kieffer is a fiercely determined and hard-working character, who has a real drive to prove he can perform at the top level,” Crocker said. “A quote I always remember from an interview he did was: ‘I love to be the hardest worker in the room.’ That kind of sums him up really, mainly because of the journey he has had to get to this point.
“He doesn’t want to waste any more time as a backup. He went from non-league, to Championship, back to non-league again and then eventually up to the Premier League and World Cup. As a player, yes he can be the traditional big man up front to get balls into. But he has got more to his game. I really like what he can offer to a team and he is a real goal threat whenever he’s on the pitch and the ball goes near him.”
Why didn’t it work out for him of late at Bournemouth?
“A couple of main factors – style and Dominic Solanke. With Andoni Iraola generally playing with just one striker, and the form Solanke showed last season, nobody was getting in ahead of him. That was proven when the club signed Enes Unal to replace Moore and even he has remained mainly a sub.
“Moore was still getting minutes off the bench, coming on to score in one game last season, and Iraola was happy with having him in the squad. But at this stage of his career, Moore understandably wanted more than that.”
Do you reckon he can be the striker to fire Sheffield United back to the Premier League?
Moore joined Ipswich on February 1, on a loan deal until the end of the 2023/24 season, and scores seven goals in 18 Championship appearances to help Kieran McKenna’s side reach the promised land. “You only have to look at how last season panned out for the answer to that question,” Crocker added.
“He also played a big role to get Bournemouth up in 2022-23, scoring four goals in four games towards the end of that season, including the promotion-winning goal itself. At Championship level, if he starts every week, I don’t think there will be many better starting number nines in the league and he could be the big difference ... hence why so many clubs are after him this summer.”
What did the Bournemouth fans think of him?
Moore was a popular figure at the Vitality Stadium. “He will always be remembered in a positive light for that goal he scored against Nottingham Forest in May 2022,” Crocker said. “But even before that, he joined in January of that season, instantly got injured on his debut, then returned off the bench at Swansea with the team 3-0 down, scored twice and rescued a draw.
“Those early contributions earned him so much credit in the bank and he also provided some big moments the following season, scoring on the opening day of the Premier League campaign.
“There has been a general acceptance since that the club is moving in a different direction which maybe doesn’t quite have a place for Moore. But he certainly leaves with best wishes from the fans and he will always have his part in the club’s folklore for those early goals.”