Sheffield United: 'There will be fall out' as takeover discussions continue

Speaking at his latest pre-match media briefing, ahead of Boxing Day’s game against Coventry City, manager Paul Heckingbottom confirmed he is taking no part in the discussions about a potential takeover in order to focus on United’s forthcoming match instead.

But he did acknowledge that, for good or for bad, the negotiations which are now understood to have reached an advanced stage will impact upon his recruitment plans when the market reopens next month.

“It’s got nothing to do with me,” Heckingbottom told The Star. “All it does is become a distraction, if I get involved in everything, to be honest. Everything is on hold until something is resolved regarding January. I don’t get a lot of information. It’s private. Unless they (the board) want to share it with me and I don’t know how much can be shared. It’s not my club and it’s not my money, is it.”

Prince Abdullah came close to offloading United earlier this year, only for Henry Mauriss’ proposed purchase to fall through when he failed to satisfy the English Football League that the deal should proceed. Mike Ashley, the former Newcastle owner, is known to be keen on returning to the sport after leaving St James’ Park when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which oversees projects for Prince Abdullah’s home country, led the consortium which bought him out. Mauriss had also been eyeing Newcastle. Prince Abdullah, who has yet to reveal the identity of his would-be replacement or replacements, is known to have previously held talks with at least two business groups based in the Kingdom about helping to back United.

“Once it’s happening, we’ll deal with it,” said Heckingbottom, confirming his priority is keeping United’s second placed squad together rather than making new signings. “Because there will be a fall out from it, no matter what that is.

“We could moan about stuff but we do that behind the scenes, because it’s all about hard work. If there’s an injury it’s an opportunity for someone else. If the budget gets cut, well I think we’ve still put together a really good squad. You can always have an excuse not to compete or be at your best.

“It’s not as big a distraction (the takeover) as you might think it is. That’s not our job. Our job is to win games.”

Despite removing himself from the talks, Heckingbottom has applied subtle pressure on Prince Abdullah and his associates in the past; particularly regarding footballing matters and the futures if key players.

Amid suspicions that the financial well at United is beginning to run dry, Heckingbottom added: “Them sharing problems, the board and Prince Abdullah, with me has allowed us to get into this position. I know what the answer to any problem is and that’s promotion. To do that I want to protect the team and keep the players. But it’s easy for me to say because it’s not my money. I want to help people make better decisions. But it’s not my call at the end of the day.”