Sheffield United hold stronger hand than feared over prized pair as Blades chief offers welcome contract clue
Sheffield United hold stronger hand than feared over prized pair as Stephen Bettis offers welcome contract clue
Sheffield United have more power than was originally thought over the futures of two of their prized assets, chief executive Stephen Bettis suggested last night, amid fears that the Blades could be forced into a cut-price deal this summer. Femi Seriki and Andre Brooks have been two of United’s leading lights this summer.
That has led to fears amongst the fanbase that either could be sold in the summer when they were thought to enter the final 12 months of their current deals, which were advertised as running until 2027 when they were originally signed.
Chris Wilder, the United boss, admitted earlier this season that the pair’s futures were on his agenda after the closure of the January transfer window, with both being the subject of interest from other clubs.
Club Brugge were keen on Brooks while Everton were said to be monitoring Seriki’s situation as they looked for right-back reinforcements. But both remained at Bramall Lane beyond the end of the window and will be involved this weekend as the Blades look to continue their season resurgence with another derby win over rivals Wednesday.
But chief executive Bettis moved to allay fears over a potential cut-price sale of either player this summer, suggesting strongly that United have options in both the academy products’ contracts to tie them down for a further year.
Bettis fielded questions at the first United Fan Advisory Board forum at Bramall Lane last night, with one on the futures of Brooks and Seriki. “I don’t want to get into the details of singular players, because I don’t think it’s fair on them and that’s their personal business,” Bettis said.
Sheffield United hold stronger hand than feared over prized pair as Stephen Bettis offers welcome contract clue
“What I will say to you is that, people think Seriki and Brooks have got 18 months left on their contracts. What if they had an option in there as well, so they’ve actually got two and a half years left on their contracts? Would that make people feel a bit more comfortable at the moment? Then be comfortable.”
That situation ties into United’s policy in recent years of inserting options into the majority of contracts signed by players, either new or existing, to protect their interests. Fellow academy stars Sydie Peck and Oliver Arblaster are tied down to significant-term deals, along with another prized asset in young Ryan One.
“I always want to improve the club,” boss Wilder added. “Whether it's from a training ground situation, whether it's the academy, whether it's bringing players into the football club. But that's always a discussion and it always has been and it always will be.
“I will push and push and push as always but knowing that if it's not attainable or achievable then we'll move on and gradually build. It's a word that is contained in a lot of my interviews and talk whether it's to you guys or whether it's to supporters, the continual build.
“And if we have to build again next year then we'll do that. We’re 100 per cent keen on future-proofing the boys, we're on to that and we have been all over that for quite a while. I don't want to undersell players and I won't ever stand in players’ ways in terms of going and playing in the Premier League.
“That's ambition and that's because they're doing something well. The value to the football club in terms of players is huge as well. That always goes hand in hand with winning games. I've always said that no player’s price goes down in a winning team. So we have to win games of football and that's always the short term goal of everybody, supporters included.”