Sheffield United tick one box required to sign Conor Coady as Wolves chief addresses situation

Coady, who completed a successful spell on loan at the beginning of his professional career, features among several avenues Heckingbottom is exploring in the transfer market after leading his squad out of the Championship last term.

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Placed with Everton at the beginning of the campaign, Coady has now returned to Molineux where news that Julen Lopetegui is set to remain in charge casts a doubt over his future. Speaking during an interview with a national radio station earlier this month, the 30-year-old confirmed enjoys working for managers with a clear and cohesive playing style. That squares with how Heckingbottom plans to approach United’s return to top-flight football, telling The Star soon after their top-flight return was sealed: “It’s important we know what a Sheffield United performance looks like. That’s something we’ve been big on since coming in. There’s times when you have to adjust, of course you do. But whatever formation, system or approach we are using, it always has to fit within a framework of principles that don’t change.”

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Coady has featured on United’s wanted list in the past, with Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder at one stage convinced he could acquire his services before financial issues complicated the deal. Capped 10 times by his country, Coady made 50 appearances for United during the 2013/14 campaign and was a member of the squad which, despite being in League One at the time, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Matt Hobbs, Wolves sporting director, believes Coady’s first option would be to remain at Wolves before admitting they are chasing players cut from the same cloth.

“Conor is someone I’ve spoken to more or less every day since the season finished,” he said, acknowledging several enquiries about Coady’s availability have already been received. “He’s made it clear he would like to come back, but the manager is speaking to him soon to get a feel for him and see what Conor wants.”

“The type of player I’m talking about signing, Conor would be that type of player and he’s already our player,” Hobbs added. “But it’s a conversation for him and the manager to have.”

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Although United’s hierarchy would prefer any permanent signings to be aged 25 or below, Heckingbottom is also aware he needs an injection of experience following the departures of captain Billy Sharp and Enda Stevens. Both were prominent members of the United side which finished ninth in the PL under Wilder before being relegated a season later. Coady has made 211 outings in the PL, including one for his first club Liverpool.

“Even when we don’t have the ball,” Heckingbottom continued. “We want to be going about things in a certain way. Doing that, knowing what a united performance is, has got us this far and so we don’t want to change now. We shouldn’t change, in fact.”