Sheffield United make an admission about transfers

Revealing he is in constant contact with Bramall Lane’s board of directors as they attempt to plot a course through the crisis, Wilder accepted the costs United are likely to incur before football returns to action are expected to impact upon his recruitment budget.

As well as preparing to resume their push for Europe when the season begins again next month United, who have not played since March, have been using the break in competition to identify their targets ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

Insisting owner HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his colleagues are determined to build upon the progress United have made under his stewardship, Wilder said: “We will take the hit. There were projected figures about what we were going to spend and those might change because of what’s happened.

“But the board have always given me the opportunity to build and they’ll do what they can. I’m talking with Steve (Bettis, United’s chief executive) and them all the time.”

Asked if the disruption to the fixture schedule will cause problems for the division’s other leading teams, Wilder added: “Some teams, like us, will take the hit. But not everyone is in the same boat. We aren’t in the same one as (Manchester) City for example or some of the others. I’m sure the top clubs will continue to spend. For others, it might change what they do across more than one window.

“It definitely will change approaches further down the pyramid, where clubs are much more reliant on the money that comes through the gate.

“I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s some quite reckless spending in the Championship where people have possibly put clubs at risk. We’ll take the hit if we have to and we’ll be sensible as always.”

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