Chris Wilder’s earlier remarks regarding Oliver Arblaster’s future at Sheffield United as transfer concerns reappear
With rumours of Oliver Arblaster joining Brighton & Hove Albion resurrecting this week, he has once again been linked to a transfer away from his childhood club, Sheffield United. Due to a severe knee injury, the Blades academy product is still recovering with the hopes of being ready for the upcoming campaign.
The 21-year-old’s solid performances prior to his ACL injury in last November’s win over city rivals Wednesday were noticed elsewhere, with Brentford previously said to be interested in him. Arblaster, a boyhood Blade, has a contract with Bramall Lane until the summer of 2028.
Although top clubs might prefer to wait and see how he recovers from injury before considering the kind of multi-million offer that would entice United to the negotiating table, that situation does at least give the Blades some power if they do receive a tangible approach for their young player this summer. With Arblaster and his former academy teammate Sydie Peck possibly anchoring the United midfield together for many years to come, the Blades’ strategy is still very much to maintain their valued assets at the football club and build around them.
Every football player, from the top to the bottom, has a price, though, and manager Chris Wilder has expressed in the past how happy he is when his players receive attention from other sources since it indicates that both the player and the team are doing a lot of things well.
Wilder earlier shown interest in Arblaster, stating: “Blaster doesn’t speak like a young lad his first full year, really. We’re quite pleased with how he is and how he conducts himself. If a club has a lot of players who are performing well and generating interest, it means they are doing well and we are doing well as coaches.
Who knows if he can keep playing so well. It’s a long way away.” It’s great news – not only for me as Sheffield United manager and supporter, but for all of our fans – that he wants to stay and sees his immediate future at Sheffield United. We want to be at the top, and Blaster will help us get there.”
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While United may have to sanction some reluctant departures this summer if they fail to reclaim their Premier League spot next season, the hope is that the Blades can keep the core of the group together and add to it rather than having a fire sale and facing another significant rebuild.
“The good thing about Blaster is his personality,” Wilder explained. “He has a strong personality.” Unfortunately, he will not be driven by an agent, as happens on occasion. I like/love his approach; he knows the game and the future.
“He wants to be a good Premier League player, but there are many different ways to get there. Anyone can be ambitious in whatever they want to achieve, but you must take control of your career and not let others to dictate it. And I don’t think he is the type of person who will.
“I know his agent, and he’s an excellent one. He will advise him, but will not dictate to him or his family. We cannot sit here and predict that he will play 500 league games for Sheffield United. We can’t pin it down.
“He will find his way to where he can play, and I believe we all understand that if he keeps going in the same direction, he will eventually get there. If his path aligns with ours, that’s fantastic for the short, medium, and even long term, but nobody has that crystal ball.”
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