'Definitely' - Nils Zätterström has already hinted at Sheffield United exit amid Genoa transfer update
Sheffield United are highly likely to say farewell to centre-back Nils Zätterström on a permanent basis this summer.
Sheffield United centre-back Nils Zätterström has already admitted he would be ”definitely open” to joining Genoa on a permanent basis after Daniele De Rossi refused to rule out the prospect of keeping him.
Zätterström, 21, joined the Blades from Swedish club Malmö last summer but failed to make a single appearance prior to being sent out on loan to Genoa in January. The deal that saw him move to the Italian outfit featured an option for them to turn his temporary stay at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris into a permanent one.
Signed by former Blades boss Rubén Sellés last summer, Zätterström has struggled for regular time during his stint in Italy, making just three appearances. However, he earned two of those three outings recently, starting two of their final three Serie A fixtures this season.
Speaking recently, De Rossi said of Zätterström and fellow defender Alessandro Marcandalli: “They are great players who are on a different path, because of their ages.
“Nils is coming off a spell where he barely played before arriving here, and he's played very little here too. He's a phenomenal guy in terms of his attitude.
“Technically, he's probably the best defender we have at playing in tight spaces and looking for long, precise balls. He's always very alert and focused.
“He knows how to mark, he knows how to defend, and so I think he has all the characteristics to be important for us in the future too. We know it's a loan and we saw him from the start [against Lecce]. But we have to evaluate the whole picture to complete the puzzle in the best possible way.”
Refusing to rule out the prospect of signing the Swede permanently could be music to United’s ears amid the understanding he does not feature in Chris Wilder’s plans for next season. The Blades chief needs to significantly strengthen his centre-back department after Ben Mee, Tyler Bindon and Leo Hjelde recently left Bramall Lane.
Although game time has been limited for Zätterström in Italy, he admitted earlier this year he would be open to joining Genoa permanently after not suiting Wilder’s style of play.
Zätterström, speaking in March, told Fotbollskanalen: “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.”
He added: “The coach who brought me there [Sellés] got fired early on. And the new coach [Wilder] had a different playing style and different players he believed in. So, I was often sitting in the stands there.”