Sheffield United: What Paul Heckingbottom believes The Blades biggest weapon in the transfer market is
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His employers should possess the wherewithal to pay more than the majority of teams in the Championship. Not all of them, admittedly. But definitely most.
Still, when he finally spoke with Anel Ahmedhodzic to discuss his move to Bramall Lane, Heckingbottom was aware he needed something more than a big salary offer to capture the Bosnian’s imagination. Nearly two months on, as he reflected upon how United persuaded Ahmedhodzic to join them rather than one of the top-flight clubs who were also interested in acquiring his services, the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief identified what he believes his employers’ greatest weapon in the transfer market is.
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“Identity,” Heckingbottom told The Star, “It’s vitally important and it’s definitely something that worked to our advantage. Not just with Anel but also with other lads too. It really helps if you can create a picture in someone’s mind about what we look like, Show them that we’ve got a distinct way of doing things.”
United’s marquee signing of this summer’s window, Ahmedhodzic already appears to be a snip at £3m. One suspects the former Malmo centre-half, who has also represented Sweden at international level, is destined to be competing in the Premier League next term whether United go up or not.
Having scored his third goal since leaving the Eleda Stadion in July, Ahmedhodzic was first flagged-up as a target for United midway through the previous campaign. Although it proved impossible to acquire him then, Heckingbottom remained in contact with the 23-year-old throughout the course of his spell on loan with Bordeaux. When a financial crisis forced the French outfit to extricate themselves from an agreement to sign Ahmedhodzic permanently, that decision proved crucial. United’s 3-5-2 system allows him to showcase not only his defensive capabilities but also his attacking prowess too.
“What we were able to do, because he knew we’d been interested in him for a long while, was show Anel how he would fit into the way we want to play,” Heckingbottom continued. “We created that image for him in his head. Not only about what we could do for him but, importantly, what he could do for us. Maybe, to begin with, he couldn’t quite grasp just how suited we thought he would be and why. He does now. But because we were able to give him a very clear idea of how things work here, because we’ve got a distinct way of doing things, that definitely made an impression on him, I’d say.”
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Hide AdHeckingbottom employed a similar tactic when persuading Ciaran Clark, Tommy Doyle, James McAtee and Reda Khadra to join United on a temporary basis - although the latter’s agreement contains an option to buy.
“There’s plenty of footage we’ve been able to view of them,” he said. “And we do our homework as you would expect, because we want the right people here. But when you are looking to sell yourself to somebody, especially if others want them, then I think it’s a real plus if you can show them your club’s identity and why it suits them.”