What could have been for Sheffield United as former £1m transfer target earns England senior call-up
James Hill has earned his first England call-up after establishing himself at Bournemouth, but his rise will also serve as a reminder of a transfer that Sheffield United were unable to get over the line in January 2022...
News that AFC Bournemouth defender James Hill has been called up to the England squad this week, as a late injury replacement for Arsenal's Ezri Konsa, will have barely caused a ripple in South Yorkshire. But somewhere, former Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom may well wonder what could have been.
United were keen on signing Hill from Fleetwood Town during Heckingbottom’s time in charge at Bramall Lane, in the January transfer window of 2022. But they were unable to tie up a deal before Bournemouth swooped, and missed out.
Hill, the son of former Blades defender Matt, had to bide his time on the south coast and made only 24 appearances in his first three and a half years at Bournemouth, before becoming a regular last season and helping them finish sixth in the Premier League.
United hoped that the family connection - with Matt playing almost 100 times for United during his own career - would help swing the battle for his services in their favour and when it became apparent that they would not be able to compete financially with the top-flight teams chasing Hill, even indicated they would be willing to insert a release clause in any potential contract.
Southampton had also been monitoring Hill’s progress at Highbury while Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City and Watford were amongst the clubs to scout the then 19-year-old centre-half.
But Bournemouth’s upward trajectory at the time under Scott Parker swung it for them when it came to Hill’s decision, after a £1m fee was agreed with Fleetwood. He has gone from strength to strength at the Vitality, and linked up with Thomas Tuchel’s men ahead of Thursday's Nations League clash with Croatia at Wembley.
“Hill was someone that we looked at,” Heckingbottom said at the time, after the defender was earmarked as a potential long-term successor to Chris Basham. “I admit I’d not seen much of him but he was someone the recruitment department flagged up.”
Closer to home, Sydie Peck has been named in the England U21 squad for a double header against Portugal and France at Ashton Gate over the international break, while Tom Cannon and Liam Kitching were called up by the Republic of Ireland squad for their final two Nations League fixtures against Austria and Kosovo.
Matt Doherty is on standby for both games as he works his way back to full fitness, while Rhys Norrington-Davies and Tommy Betts are on the fringes of the Wales and England U18 squads respectively.
Jordan Ayew and Ghana face two AFCON qualifiers against Somalia over the international break, while Ben Brereton Diaz is on duty with Chile against Colombia. Tahith Chong’s Curaçao face Panama home and away, while Hamza Choudhury could earn his latest Bangladesh cap against Sri Lanka.