The relief in Chris Wilder’s voice on Thursday that he was being asked questions about football again was almost palpable. The end of last season was supposed to represent a line in the sand for Sheffield United; the end of an era on and off the field, almost.
On it, relegation from the Premier League resulted in a number of long-serving players such as Oli McBurnie, Oliver Norwood and Chris Basham, mainstays of their recent success, leaving. But more importantly, there were supposed to be off-field changes too. As far back as May, a long-awaited and much-needed takeover was said to be imminent.
A US-based consortium remains in talks but, as the Blades prepare to kick off the Championship season on Friday night at Preston, the problems that plagued them remain. Wilder has admitted it is far from ideal and it has seeped into their recruitment.
Sixteen senior players have left, many of them key members. Only six have come in, with Wilder reduced to free agents, minimal fees and loans. Harry Souttar and Alfie Gilchrist joined from Leicester and Chelsea, respectively, this week to add a fraction of depth to a squad that does not feel ready for the start.
It means one word dominates Wilder’s agenda: patience. “I’ve had to be patient with a lot of things,” he said. “There’s got to be an understanding this [squad] has been put together quickly. We might have to show a bit of patience, but they’re good players.
“It’s important we fly out the blocks because there’s three points at stake but our supporters recognise this is a major rebuild, probably the biggest in the division. We had to move players out, which was needed, and bring the players in we are doing now. We’ve streamlined it.”
The problems deepened on Thursday with the sale of the forward Will Osula to Newcastle for a fee believed to be about £10m. It remains to be seen whether Wilder will get to spend any of that. He said the club would almost certainly use their maximum permitted five loans as they aim to find value in the market.
There has been no update on the ownership saga but Wilder is adamant he will be able to deliver on his vision, which he envisaged when he arrived last December with the club sinking without trace from the Premier League.
“There’s questions out there about us and I get that,” he said. “I’ve not done that many interviews regarding the ownership because it’s got nothing to do with me. That’s about decisions above me. I’m working as a football manager and trying to work through this.”
The initial business appears promising. They have paid small fees for Kieffer Moore and the promising Peterborough defender Harrison Burrows. Jamie Shackleton and Callum O’Hare have arrived on free transfers from Leeds and Coventry, respectively, and Souttar’s and Gilchrist’s loans complete the picture.
The squad will need much more adding to it to compete and despite Wilder saying what happens above him is none of his business, it could dictate whether the Blades are in anything like a position to challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League.
Despite all the drama at the club, one thing they do not lack is a leader who cares deeply. Wilder’s club are not where he or any fan would wish as the rollercoaster that is the Championship gears up for a restart but the manager, who grew up watching from the terraces at Bramall Lane and delivered promotion to the Premier League in his first spell in charge, is determined that in all the turbulence there is an opportunity to do something special. “We could be in a better place but it’s not catastrophe time,” he said. “It’s a new beginning. Hopefully there are some new heroes and some new stories to tell.”
