The World Cup boss that once rejected Sheffield United while dubbing the club’s blueprint ‘prehistoric’
In some sort of parallel universe, Sheffield United could have had their first non-European manager - if he didn’t brand the club’s blueprint as ‘prehistoric’
Since being formed in 1889, Sheffield United have only ever had two non-British managers.
Spaniard Rubén Sellés last just six games at the start of last season without picking up a single point, while Serbian coach Slaviša Jokanović lasted 22 matches during the 2021/22 campaign as he failed to find the consistency which had helped him achieve promotion with both Watford and Fulham earlier down the line.
However, almost a decade before that the Blades nearly made their most left-field appointment of the lot in the form of Australian Graham Arnold, who to this day has never managed in Europe.
For context, United were in League One and preparing for their third season at that level after two consecutive failed play-off attempts. Former defensive stalwart Chris Morgan had acted as caretaker boss but wasn’t seen as the man to spearhead a promotion charge.
The Blades instead set their sights on A League-winning coach Graham Arnold, one of the most respected figures in the Australian game having managed the nation both internationally and at Under-23 level.
They had the then Central Coast Mariners manager in an interview, but the grilling did not go to plan, with Arnold later labelling his would-be employers as “prehistoric” during an incendiary outburst following a video conference call with Dave Bassett.
Arnold said he had no hesitation in turning the job down.
In an interview with The Australia newspaper, he said: "In all honesty, I didn't have to think too long or too hard about it. It just wasn't for me. Forget that the financial offer in itself was quite poor, but I would have been taking three steps backwards in my development as a professional coach if I had gone.
"I walked out of that meeting with the club's board and football director Dave Bassett, and said 'Wow'. It just blew me away. Being one of the bigger lower league clubs, I was expecting a lot more in terms of how they wanted to develop as a club on the field.
"But they just didn't seem interested when I was talking about playing a short passing game and taking the football another level up. It was about smashing the ball long and working on set-pieces … it was prehistoric stuff. That's not the way to develop a football team."
Bassett, who had been asked to help advise his former club as they searched for Wilson’s replacement, later disputed Arnold’s take on their discussions. United eventually hired David Weir.
The Scotsman won just one of his 13 games in charge, in what remains his only managerial stint to date, with Nigel Clough later taking the reins.
United would wait another four years to get out of League One with Chris Wilder eventually spearheading the club to a 100 point season before reaching the Premier League and recording a ninth place finish in the three years that followed.
The Blades were relegated from the top-flight a year later but haven't been able to consolidate themselves in the top-flight - suffering an immediate relegation after promotion in 2022.
Meanwhile, Arnold ventured into the second-tier of Japanese football with Vegalta Sendai before moving closer to home with Sydney FC before returning to Australia Under-23 and later the senior national team, who he led to the 2022 World Cup and the knockout stage before eventually falling short against Argentina.
Arnold is now preparing to lead Iraq into their first World Cup since 1986. They’ve been placed in arguably the toughest group of the tournament with the likes of France, Senegal and Norway all to come in the group stage.
However, they’ve shown signs that they could be trickier than some would anticipate after a more than commendable 1-1 draw in a pre-tournament friendly with European champions Spain.