"Mugged off..." - Chris Wilder's brutal warning over Gus Hamer, Tyrese Campbell transfer futures as Sheffield United stance made clear
Chris Wilder has suggested that Sheffield United will stand firm over the futures of Gus Hamer and Tyrese Campbell, with both players entering the final year of their contracts and attracting potential interest ahead of a pivotal summer.
Chris Wilder has warned any would-be suitors for Gus Hamer and Tyrese Campbell that Sheffield United will not be “mugged off” by low-ball offers if either of the pair decide against signing new contracts at Bramall Lane. Both men are rapidly approaching the final 12 months of their Blades deals.
United remain in dialogue with their representatives about extending their respective careers in South Yorkshire, which arguably peaked last season when they both helped the Blades to the play-off final.
But neither has hit the same heights this time around, with Campbell’s season prematurely curtailed by a knee injury that required a minor operation to clean up. Hamer is still in the United side, with uncertainty over how much longer Blades fans will get to enjoy him in a red and white shirt.
“We're talking to them,” confirmed Wilder ahead of tomorrow’s trip to one of his former clubs in Watford. “Gus is in the team and he's arguably been our best player since I came back last year. He was fantastic. He's had a difficult season, like a lot of the players have this year, but he's an asset.
Sheffield United's stance over Gus Hamer, Tyrese Campbell transfer futures as Chris Wilder sounds "mugged off" warning
“He's one of the best players in the Championship. But he's got to decide his future as well. And Tyrese was outstanding last year. He's not hit the heights at all this year. So if he re-signs, then great. And then it's up to us and him to get him back to the standards that he set in that season.
“We still think there's a player in there. But as always, the question will be: ‘Do you want to be part of our new journey?’ And if they don't, then we'll do our best to facilitate that and make things happen. Without getting mugged off by somebody just offering or low-balling us on a price that we don't think is reasonable for us.”
United have at least tied up a few loose ends in terms of player futures of late, with confirmation that Tom Davies will leave in the summer. The Blades will also take up the option in Jairo Riedewald’s contract, keeping him at United for at least another 12 months.
But with Wilder publicly signalling his intention to seriously trim the size of his squad next term, the bulk of the work this summer could be focused on moving players out. “There'll be the financial aspects of it, looking at players,” he added.
“We'll treat everyone on its own individual basis and merit. The two big ones are the obvious standouts in Tyrese and Gus. So, there’ll be talks with their agents and talks with the players as well.
“There's a lot of discussion between all of the parties between now and the end of the season. Discussions regarding the player, does he want to stay or does he want to go? There's still a lot of stuff flying about.
“If the player wants to go and there's no interest in him, then he's here for the next season. It's an obvious one that we don't like players running down the contracts, especially when the club paid quite a bit of money for Gus as well.
“But I think there are a lot of moving parts to a lot of things between now and the end of the season, and even going into maybe two or three weeks afterwards to set us up. But I think one of the big things is there will be players that will come to financial settlements with, and still there'll be a lot of decisions still to be made on others as well.”