Exclusive:Sheffield United's January reset gathers pace as decisions made on quartet's future after disastrous chapter
Sheffield United's January reset gathers pace as decisions made on quartet's future after disastrous chapter
Former Chelsea man Alex Matos will be allowed to leave Sheffield United in this transfer window if the Blades receive a suitable offer, The Star understands, while all of the signings made in United’s disastrous AI experiment have also been made available to depart Bramall Lane. Matos only signed in the summer in a permanent deal from Chelsea.
But he has failed to justify his transfer fee since moving to South Yorkshire and has only made eight appearances for the Blades, with a late substitute introduction at Stoke City on Monday his first competitive football since early December.
United’s options in midfield are set to increase in the coming weeks with the returns of Sydie Peck and Tom Davies from injury while Oliver Arblaster is also getting back to top speed after a 13-month injury lay-off.
Boss Chris Wilder is also keen to sign a midfielder in this window to boost his squad options, as the Blades eye a positive second half of the season. But we understand that Matos does not form part of his immediate plans and the Blades will not stand in his way in this window if a suitable offer, either loan or permanent, is received.
Sheffield United's January reset gathers pace as decisions made on quartet's future after disastrous chapter
Matos was another data-driven signing in the summer, largely based on his loan spell at Oxford United last season. He was identified as a potential replacement for Vini Souza following his departure to Wolfsburg but he had a tough start, inadvertently setting up a goal for Ipswich Town in a 5-0 drubbing at Portman Road on his debut.
The AI experiment signings who remain at Bramall Lane - Bulgarian right back Mihail Polendakov, winger Christian Nwachukwu and fellow Nigerian forward Ehije Ukaki - are also free to leave after failing to justify their arrivals as part of the disastrous transfer policy effectively overseen by self-styled data guru James Bord.
Polendakov only arrived in July from Septemvri Sofia, the Bulgarian club in whom Bord owns a stake and who received a club-record fee from United for the 18-year-old, while Nwachukwu and Ukaki were both signed from Bulgarian outfit Botev Plovdiv.
Only Ukaki has kicked a competitive ball for United, playing 82 minutes in a League Cup defeat at Birmingham City earlier this season under Ruben Selles. The fourth wildcard signing made by United, Peruvian winger Jefferson Caceres, was moved on in the summer, signing for Scottish side Dunfermline - co-owned by Bord.
United’s owners retain belief that data can play a key part in their transfer activity, as does Wilder, but the expensive failures of the last year will be used to shape their approach going forward.
The Blades no longer use data from Short Circuit, Bord’s company, with Wilder recently confirming that Bord will have “zero influence” on what is happening at United this January after news emerged that he was involved in a consortium looking to buy their arch-rivals Wednesday.
Bord has since been reported as the preferred bidder to take the Owls out of administration, adding an extra dimension to a remarkable and disastrous chapter in United’s history that will not be looked back on with much fondness by anyone.