Sheffield United contract rebel signs for Championship promotion hopefuls

Former Barnsley boss Valerian Ismael has chosen to take Kean Bryan to Championship pace-setters West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer after he rejected a new deal to stay on at Bramall Lane in the summer.

The former Manchester City and England youth prospect made 19 senior appearances for United since his signing in 2019. The 24-year-old joins Ismeal’s promotion-chasers on a two-year deal.

The deal was announced after the Baggies saw injuries suffered by defenders Matt Clarke and Dara O’Shea.

Bryan’s profile, Ismael said, is a perfect fit for what he wanted to bring in.

“Kean has the same profile as a defender as Dara,” he said. “He is a very aggressive, fast, centre-back, who is good in the build-up, is young, wants to learn, and has experience, so his profile is very good for us.

“The main difference to Dara is that Kean is left-footed and with Matt Clarke also out this was an opportunity for us to sign a player who can also play on the left side of our back three, as it is important to the balance of our team to have left-footed players in left-sided positions.

“Now, we need to build Kean into the squad and into the team. He didn’t have a normal pre-season and we need to manage him. At the same time, we will need him in the games, so we need to find the balance.”

The transfer window closed last week but free agent players can find new clubs at anytime.