Exclusive:Sheffield United keeping tabs on Leicester City loan star ahead of potential January transfer approach
Sheffield United keeping tabs on former loan star ahead of potential January transfer approach
Sheffield United will continue to monitor the availability of former loanee Hamza Choudhury, The Star has been told, as they consider a move when the transfer market reopens for business in January. The 28-year-old joined the Blades on loan in the last mid-season window, helping them to last season’s play-off final.
Signed primarily as midfield competition, Choudhury ended the campaign as United’s first-choice right-back and also made his senior debut for Bangladesh while at Bramall Lane, after switching his international allegiance.
Choudhury has since described United as a “special club” since he returned to parent club Leicester City in the summer, following their relegation from the Premier League and the Blades’ defeat at Wembley to Sunderland.
Despite some uncertainty about his future in the Midlands, Choudhury has made nine appearances for the Foxes so far this term, most recently in a 2-1 defeat at Hull City a week ago. He was not in the squad for the 1-0 loss at Millwall on Saturday.
Choudhury has just 18 months on his current contract at the King Power Stadium and although United’s interest is likely to be on a temporary basis, they could also look to exploit the uncertainty over the player’s future. He is understood to have enjoyed his time on loan at United and left a good impression on coaching staff and teammates.
For United’s part, they are light on bodies in Choudhury’s two primary positions of right-back and central midfield and the return of a player with experience in the Premier League and of international football could only boost the Blades.
Sheffield United keeping tabs on former loan star ahead of potential January transfer approach
Martí Cifuentes’ side would likely not be in a hurry to sacrifice a key player as they too struggle to recover from a disappointing end to last term and if United do follow up their initial interest in a return for Choudhury, then much may rest on City’s progress in adding fresh faces to their squad.
As The Star reported earlier this year, Choudhury’s City teammate Harry Souttar remains another player of interest after his impressive loan spell at Bramall Lane, which was cruelly cut short by a devastating Achilles injury.
The giant Australian defender has not played since but is nearing a comeback, according to Cifuentes. United are relatively well-stocked at centre-half as things stand, with Japhet Tangangs, Mark McGuinness, Ben Mee, Tyler Bindon, Ben Godfrey - back in the U21s last week after a month-long absence - and rookie Nils Zatterstrom on their books.
So any move for Souttar may rest on freeing up space on their roster, as well as the popular defender proving his fitness after a long time out with a notoriously troublesome injury. But interest in him and Choudhury is a hint at the type of characters boss Chris Wilder is looking for in January, as he looks to freshen up a squad he reinherited from Ruben Selles around six weeks ago.
Selles made a swift return to management after being unveiled as Segunda División club Real Zaragoza’s new boss recently, suffering defeat in his first game at Sporting Gijon despite the victors playing the entire second half with 10 men.
Wilder has already submitted a list of transfer priorities to the club’s owners as he looks to put his stamp back on a squad which has badly lost its way since his summer departure. Since then the Blades have lost 10 of their 13 competitive games, the most recent a frustrating 3-2 reverse at Preston North End after Wilder’s men went 2-0 up early on.