Sheffield United's path to Anis Ben Slimane's transfer signing is revealed
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After the Tunisia midfielder completed his much-anticipated move to Bramall Lane, Paul Heckingbottom confirmed members of his recruitment department first identified him as a potential signing midway through the 2021/22 Championship campaign - 12 months before he featured for his country at the World Cup in Qatar.
However, with United’s recruitment budget limited and Slimane already playing top-flight football in Denmark with Brondby, it was not until circumstances conspired to bring him within Heckingbottom’s reach that the former Barnsley, Leeds and Hibernian chief decided to make his move.
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Hide Ad“Anis is someone we’ve known about since we first took the job,” said Heckingbottom, reflecting upon his appointment in November 2021. “Really in that first window.”
“We never had the opportunity to do something until now and it has just coincided with his contract situation so the timing is really good for both of us,” Heckingbottom added, during an interview with United’s official website.
With his deal at Brondby Stadion set to expire at the end of the forthcoming Superliga campaign and Slimane’s representatives confirming he wanted to explore options overseas, United exploited the Dane’s desire to receive some return on their investment by negotiating a cut price fee.
As sources close to the talks told The Star earlier this week, Heckingbottom’s employers have paid less than £1m to process the deal although there is a suggestion that figure could rise depending upon Slimane’s performances.