Sheffield United’s play-off final loss is a major setback for the club moving into this summer’s transfer window.
The Blades carried a 1-0 lead into half-time over Régis Le Bris’ Sunderland side, but goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Tom Watson in the final 15 minutes saw their advantage overturned under the Wembley arch.
Chris Wilder will now have to prepare the club for another year in the Championship, but their failure on May 24th means he will have to start from nothing in terms of building his squad for another promotion attempt.
Sheffield United’s failure makes them exposed to clubs stealing their most promising players, who may seek opportunities to advance up the football pyramid now that the Yorkshire club cannot offer top division football for another year.
In comparison to if they won against Sunderland, Wilder will have to totally change his plans for the next several months.
Sheffield United are poised to lose top stars.
It’s not surprising that the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s setback at Wembley Stadium has sparked conjecture over Gustavo Hamer’s future.
TalkSPORT claimed this week that Everton and Leeds United are interested in the playmaker. It is expected that the 27-year-old will quit Bramall Lane, which will be a significant loss to the Blades considering his importance to the squad.
Hamer had nine goals and seven assists during the regular season, and he added to those totals in the playoffs. He will be extremely tough to replace, even if a large amount is paid from his selling.
| Gustavo Hamer’s stats 2024/25 – per Fbref.com | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Per 90 | ||
| Non-penalty goals | 0.26 | ||
| Non-penalty expected goals (npxG) | 0.17 | ||
| Shots | 2.62 | ||
| Assists | 0.20 | ||
| Expected assists (xAG) | 0.26 | ||
| npxG + xAG | 0.43 | ||
| Shot-creating actions | 4.47 | ||
Other players, such as Anel Ahmedhodzic, are sure to draw notice, and Sheffield United’s manager even stated as much in the run-up to the playoffs.
The 57-year-old emphasised the defender’s expiring contract in April, arguing the club cannot afford to keep allowing players to reach the final year of their contracts, noting earlier mistakes with Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge.
“I do think it’s dependent on what happens at the end of the season, because these are ambitious boys as well, but we have to secure longer-term contracts for our players,” Wilder told The Star in April.
“It is really difficult, and I know there was a massively difficult situation with Illy and Sander.”
Vini Souza and Michael Cooper are two additional players that could be of interest, while Sydie Peck and Ollie Arblaster could be solid candidates for moving on to meet PSR expectations.
Sheffield United have to forgo any major spending ambitions.
Sheffield United would have planned to improve their roster based on winning the play-off final.
However, that agreement must be terminated because the club cannot commit to signing any big-name players without Premier League football.
While signings will be made to earn promotion next year, the team may first need to consider player departures.
Hamer and Ahmedhodzic’s future may be more important than anyone else’s right now, with new strategies needed to confront another year in the Championship.
Replacing these crucial figures will have to come first before any great plans are devised to recover from Saturday’s loss to Sunderland.
Leave a Reply