Sheffield United's manager didn't get everything he wanted during the transfer window
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Before the Germany under-21 international’s loan from Brighton and Hove Albion was cancelled at the beginning of the window, Heckingbottom made it clear he would only sanction the player’s departure if he could re-enter the market himself. Although the 45-year-old confirmed he had identified two potential targets over the weekend, only one of which was designed to fill the void created had Berge been sold, the fact United remain under a transfer embargo means they enter the final 18 matches of their season with one less player at their disposal than before Christmas.
Heckingbottom, who had publicly distanced himself from the decision to hold talks with what a source described yesterday as “a number” of Premier League sides about Berge, both he and his coaching staff will be celebrating the fact that none of those were willing to pay the type of money required to trigger his release. With United second in the Championship table and 12 points clear of third place, only something above the £22m they paid to acquire him from Genk would have enabled Bramall Lane’s hierarchy to portray the deal as being in the team’s best interests.
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Crucially, Berge had also forced the issue by reassuring Heckingbottom that he would not seek to engineer a move elsewhere mid-season. Iliman Ndiaye, United’s joint-leading goalscorer, made the same promise when Everton let it be known they might be interested in pursuing a deal. Like Fulham and Newcastle, who were monitoring Berge’s position closely, that convinced officials at Goodison Park that it would be futile presenting United with an official offer.
With Daniel Jebbison facing a three match ban following his red card during Sunday’s FA Cup draw at Wrexham, Heckingbottom will hope United’s failure to cover Khadra’s exit does not come back to haunt them during the closing stages of the campaign. Although the attacker, now of Birmingham City, featured only sparingly after leaving Albion, his presence meant Heckingbottom was able to rotate his team during the closing stages of games - something United’s coaching staff believes helps to avert injuries.
As preparations for this weekend’s trip to Rotherham gather pace, Heckingbottom is maintaining a watching brief on several youngsters recently invited to complete trials at the Randox Health Academy. But with 23 players of “professional standing” already on United’s books, he will be prevented from offering them contracts until the English Football League is satisfied the debt which prompted them to prohibit any new registrations being processed has been settled. The governing body’s regulations state that must be done within 30 days of the initial breach to avoid the risk of further punishment. The outstanding amount is understood to relate to a transfer deal United brokered before Heckingbottom’s appointment 15 months ago, with the fee for the individual concerned being paid off in instalments.