Sheffield United close to new contracts for two more key stars as boss makes joke Oli Arblaster "threat"

Sheffield United are "really close" to tying down two of their highly-rated young players to new deals, Chris Wilder has revealed, after restating his desire to bring the power back to the football club over contracts. Starlets Andre Brooks and Antwoine Hackford have put pen to paper to commit their future to Bramall Lane in recent weeks.

And Wilder is now keen to ensure Daniel Jebbison and Oliver Arblaster follow suit. As The Star revealed recently, Wilder had spoken personally to Jebbison and his family in a bid to persuade the England youth international to remain in South Yorkshire, after some Bramall Lane officials expected him to leave on a free in the summer, while Arblaster is also in the final stages of his existing deal.

Arblaster has already been tipped to challenge for a Premier League place in the second half of the season after being recalled from his loan spell at Port Vale and Wilder said: "Bringing the power back to the football club has always been something that I’ve been heavily committed to, and signing the younger players, as we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks with the likes of Brooks signing, Antwoine Hackford signing.

"Daniel Jebbison is in talks, Oli Arblaster in talks. Nailing those boys down, nailing the other boys down that may be out of contract and that I see are going to be part of the future going forward as well, will be key."

Asked how close Jebbison and Arblaster were to agreeing new deals, Wilder admitted: "Really close. I think Jebbo is househunting in Sheffield and Oli, I've threatened him that his future is at Sheffield United. I think he’s a little bit scared of me at the moment so I’ll just keep squeezing him until he signs a contract! I’m sure he will do because he’s a young talented boy. We’ve had inquiries about him in terms of the Championship but he’s is a player that we’re really looking forward to working with.

"You've seen the likes of Will Osula and Brooks, the impact they've had on the first team and the experience that they’ve got. So the likes of those two, and Jebbison and Arblaster and Rhys Norrington-Davies are vital. We're looking massively at the West Ham game but there always has to be a medium and long-term plan as well. I think the players are in a good place overall and I think the club is as well, in terms of making sure that we’re secure going forward."