Sheffield United provided Oliver Arblaster transfer benchmark as Sunderland land huge Jobe Bellingham windfall

That painful defeat to Sunderland under the Wembley arch has done nothing to quieten talk of United’s main actors being prised away elsewhere, with Gustavo Hamer expected to be amongst those in demand this summer along with the likes of Vini Souza and Anel Ahmedhodzic.

Sydie Peck was this week the subject of reported interest from West Ham United while Brighton and Hove Albion, who have admired Arblaster for a while now, were once again mentioned this summer. A combination of factors - including Arblaster’s affection for United, his injury rehabilitation and a long-term Bramall Lane contract - means there should be no real panic at this stage.

In any event the suspicion is that it would take an astronomical offer to tempt the Blades to do business, and their hand could just have been strengthened further this week after Jobe Bellingham’s move to Borussia Dortmund from Sunderland was officially completed.

Sheffield United given Oliver Arblaster transfer benchmark as remarkable Jobe Bellingham deal nears completion

The midfielder has moved to Germany, following the path of his older brother Jude, for a fee that could rise as high as €38million - around £32m, depending on the exchange rate at the time of working it out. It is a staggering amount for a 19-year-old, one who has never kicked a ball above the Championship and has barely over 100 career league appearances under his belt.

There is undoubted potential in Bellingham, with a remarkable level of physicality for someone so young and room to develop. But one wonders how much of his reputation is build on his surname, even if he doesn’t wear it on the back of his shirt, and you would be hard pressed to find many, if any, Unitedites who would swap him for the Blades’ current No.4, when he makes a full recovery from his injury.

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Fair play to Sunderland for holding firm and getting full value for one of their prized assets, who cost them about £1m from Birmingham City a few years back when his elder brother was already on the path to superstardom.

But the move should give United a valuable benchmark when it comes to their own prized starlet - one who is admittedly 18 months or so older, but also impressed in the top-flight during his brief experience in 2023/24.

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The hope is that he will come back from his injury absence stronger in both a physical and mental sense, and his return will undoubtedly strengthen the Blades as they look to bounce back from the Wembley disappointment against Bellingham and Co. and go one better next term.

“Blaster was a big loss for us,” admitted boss Chris Wilder before the end of the season. “So to get him back will be great. He’s a huge player. He was fabulous last year and at the start of the season, he was a main player for us. So when he’s ready, he’s ready. But he’s in a good place and it’s good to see him smiling and working hard, in terms of getting closer to a return to training.”