Sheffield United man signals summer transfer exit intent after breaking silence on future
Sheffield United man signals summer transfer exit intent after breaking silence on future
Nils Zatterstrom, the Sheffield United defender, is “absolutely” open to the possibility of signing permanently for Genoa in the summer after joining the Italian side on a loan-to-buy deal in January. The Swedish international arrived at United last summer as the highest-profile of their data-led signings.
But he never played a minute for the Blades as Ruben Selles, who was in charge when he was signed, was sacked after six games. Chris Wilder, who replaced the Spaniard, then sanctioned Zatterstrom’s exit in January after assessing the options at his disposal at centre-half.
The agreement with Genoa contains a clause giving them the option of making it a permanent move for a fee that is understood would represent a profit for United on the price they paid Malmo for the 21-year-old.
But it remains far from a certainty that they will do so after Zatterstrom also failed to force his way into their side, his only appearance so far coming as an 89th-minute substitute against Bologna in late January.
Speaking to Fotbollskanalen about his United move, the defender said: “The coach who brought me there got fired early on. And the new coach had a different playing style and different players he believed in. So, I was often sitting in the stands there.”
Sheffield United man signals summer transfer exit intent after breaking silence on future
Even if Genoa don’t take up their option to buy Zatterstom in the summer he could be made available for a move elsewhere, with boss Wilder expected to focus his summer rebuild on players who have previous experience of Championship combat.
But the defender is at least one player signed last summer who United could expect to at least make their money back on, after the revelation in the club’s most recent accounts that £19.1m was spent last summer on Zatterstrom, Alex Matos, Tahith Chong, Mark McGuinness and skipper Japhet Tanganga.
Asked if he would be open to remaining at Stadio Luigi Ferraris beyond the summer, Zatterstrom admitted: “Yes, absolutely. As it stands now, I’m definitely open to staying in Genoa. We’ll see; there are eight matches left, and then the summer transfer window opens. But I’m open to it.
“I really enjoy it here. If you compare it to English football, there is much more rhythm in the game in Italy. Sometimes you let the opponent have the ball, you just defend areas that are dangerous and when you have the ball yourself, the opponents do the same thing.”