Chris Wilder makes Liam Kitching transfer admission as Coventry City man catches eye at Sheffield United
Chris Wilder makes Liam Kitching transfer admission as Coventry City man impresses at Sheffield United
Chris Wilder has admitted he would be interested in keeping Liam Kitching at Sheffield United on a permanent basis in the future if the opportunity ever arose, describing the on-loan Coventry City man as a typical Blades player. The defender won his first Republic of Ireland caps over the international break.
He joined the Blades on loan from the Sky Blues late in the transfer window as United ended their long search for centre-half reinforcements, and has since established himself in Wilder’s side on the left hand side of defence.
His fully-committed displays have earned him praise and respect from Unitedites while he also got forward in the recent home defeat to Wolves, evoking memories of Jack O’Connell in that marauding overlapping centre-half role.
Kitching signed a new deal at Coventry 18 months ago, the length of which was not disclosed. He was understood to have been a target of United’s from early in the window but the Blades were quoted an eight-figure fee at the time before eventually landing him on loan.
For the 27-year-old it was a chance to return to South Yorkshire, where he had previously played with Barnsley, and play regular football after slipping down the pecking order in the Midlands.
He was part of the Sky Blues side that won the Championship title last season and Wilder said: “I think he's a Sheffield United footballer and one that's been on our list right the way through.
“It only took an addition into Coventry to free him up. But from the first time I met him, I was a fan straight away. He comes from around this area, he knows the values that we're after.
“He's a winning footballer, he's been part of a team that’s gone up. It was a big signing for us and one we’re really looking forward to working with.
“It's great that he got his international debut, won that first cap, and he'll be looking to kick on individually and he'll be looking to kick our team on into more wins and more consistency.”
United’s financial state limited them to frees and loan signings in the summer as they looked to adjust to new squad cost ratio rules by selling three key men, to also balance the books from 12 months earlier when United signed a number of new players for Ruben Selles but saw very little return on their investment.
Lavish sums of money won’t be spent in January either but if the Blades’ financial picture does ever change, then Kitching fits the bill for the type of signings that Wilder and United would be searching for.
“He’s definitely the type of player that suits us,” Wilder admitted. “It’s all tied in with the recruitment. We can't just scattergun it.
“We have done in the past, and this is potentially what hurt us. Wrong picks by the jockey, and wrong picks by the horse. As I said, you've got to give the owners some support that they went all in, and they supported it.
“But these things happen, and everybody has to get over it. Kitch, for me, is a top player. I enjoy working with him. When I spoke to Frank [Lampard, Coventry boss] he said I wouldn't be disappointed in the attributes that Kitch brings to our team.
“If we are going to be a team that hasn't got parachute payments, that has to be smart in the recruitment, that hopefully will get the opportunity of down the line buying players, then Liam is a player definitely that we would be interested in if that becomes available.”