It was always going to be difficult for Sheffield United to recover from their play-off defeat, but it feels like the Blades are putting out fires both on and off the pitch at the moment.
In the wake of Sheffield United missing out on promotion in May, we saw some big changes at the club, including most notably, the departure of fan-favourite manager Chris Wilder.
Ruben Selles is in now, but it’s been a far from ideal start to the season with the Blades losing both of their opening matches and currently sitting at the foot of the Championship table.
The Sheffield United manager has slammed the recruitment process so far this summer, suggesting issues behind the scenes. So, with a trio of coaches departing this week, is there cause for concern at Bramall Lane?
Danny Cadamarteri and Sheffield United academy staff leave the club
The Sheffield United academy is renowned for bringing through top talent, with the likes of Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker, and EFL legend Billy Sharp all coming through the ranks in the past.
However, the Blades’ youth setup suffered not one but three major blows this week. First, Danny Cadamarteri left his role as Head of Individual Development on Thursday, before attacking coach Lee Tomlin and defensive coach Tom Clarke also left their positions just days later.
On his own departure, Cadamarteri wrote: “Sad to announce I’ve left my role as Head of Individual Development at Sheffield United. After five amazing years in various roles my biggest success is leading the academy individual program for the last three years. The productivity has been through the roof. Good luck.
He then celebrated the “top level knowledge” of his colleagues upon their own exits. But, with this exodus occurring within the space of just a few days, some fans were becoming worried that there was more to be read into the situation.
Responding to this, Cadamarteri took to Twitter/X again to say: “Just for clarity, mine, Lee and Tom’s departure from Sheffield United academy is in no way a result of anything related to the new ownership or management. We have left for reasons not related to [them] and we all wish the club success this season.”
There has been much debate over the impact of the COH Sports group since they took over at Sheffield United. Fans will sincerely hope there is nothing behind the scenes that has driven their academy coaches to move on.
Sheffield United are falling apart this season
While Selles has got United playing some good football, the results are simply not there and the Blades have now lost three in a row to start the campaign.
Selles has asked for calm and patience from the fans, but the fact of the matter is that this Sheffield United squad is not fit for promotion as it stands.
We know Selles wants at least two more players, particularly in defensive areas, to improve his squad. Given the £200m investment from COH Sports, it’s not as if the Blades don’t have money to spend, either.
Now, if they are serious about remaining one of the top teams in the second tier and getting back to the Premier League, they need to back Selles and get the squad up to scratch.
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