Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder makes no apology for his approach to the transfer market

Although he has previously spoken about the need to expand its horizons and eventually begin purchasing established top level players - something United did when they beat Napoli to Sander Berge’s signature during the January transfer window - Wilder concedes the losses football accrued during the global health crisis have affected his latest recruitment budget.

With a number of other factors meaning funds are expected to be in short supply, the 52-year-old and his staff could again be forced to focus the majority of their attention on professionals with the ability to make a name for themselves at the highest level rather than those with a proven pedigree.

Having led United to ninth in the Premier League table last term, leading a team of previously unheralded performers onto the cusp of the European places, it is a trick Wilder has pulled-off successfully in the past and could be about to repeat again. Reading’s John Swift and Matt Cash of Nottingham Forest are among those to attract his attention in recent weeks.

“There’s an awful lot of talent in the Championship and League One from a players’ point of view and also when it comes to staff, coaches, science and conditioning and video analysis,” Wilder said. “There is life under the Premier League and a lot of talented people working away and looking for a break.”

Having started his coaching career with Alfreton before enjoying spells in charge of Halifax, Oxford and Northampton Town, Wilder better qualified than most of his PL counterparts to comment on ability levels further down the pyramid. Appointed by United in May 2016, when they were still a third tier club, many of those crowned League One champions less than 12 months later remain on the payroll - including Jack O’Connell and John Fleck. The likes of David McGoldrick and Enda Stevens were also sourced from EFL sides, with the latter now an established Republic of Ireland international only three years after helping Portsmouth win promotion from League Two.

“As regards to what other clubs want to do, I really don’t give a flying whatsit about that,” Wilder said. “I’m not bothered about how other people go about their business. What I will say is there’s a lot of very talented people working down there. How anyone else wants to set up their own recruitment and staffing structures is up to them. But having worked at that level, what I can say is that there’s some real quality down there.”

“We want to get better, the same as everyone else does,” Wilder added. “And that’s what we’re striving to do. But we’ll do it in our own way, not what other people tell us, because we have to make sure the way we do things is right for us and that it suits us.”

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