Sheffield United’s owners are “in it for the long haul” according to manager Chris Wilder, and have helped him to deal with the disappointment of missing promotion to the Premier League.
Inevitably, following Saturday’s 2-1 Championship play-off final defeat to Sunderland, the contributions of everybody involved have come under scrutiny, with some criticising Wilder.
Even before they completed their takeover of the club, co-owners Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy publicly supported Wilder, but it went beyond that, supporting him in the mid-season transfer market and rewarded him with a new contract that would last three seasons.
It seemed unlikely that they will tear it up now.
“The owners have been incredibly positive,” Wilder said of their support before and after Saturday’s loss to the American duo. “They were extremely supportive in January, and their remarks meant a lot to me over the weekend. They’re in it for the long term.
“It is a minor setback. It wasn’t anything we desired, but we persevered, and from every low comes a high.”
The seven players signed in the mid-season transfer window had mixed success, but Wilder was delighted with the hand he was handed.
Only five players were signed as immediate first-team starters, with Christian Nwachukwu and Jefferson Caceres viewed as long-term “project” signings motivated by artificial intelligence rather than players who could help propel the Blades to promotion.
While Harry Clarke struggled at right-back, midfielder Hamza Choudhury took over the position. Rob Holding’s experience was crucial both on and off the field in achieving results. Ben Brereton Diaz’s second loan was less successful than his first, but still contributed four goals. Tom Cannon, the only buy of the five, was a Wembley substitute, despite his big-money move from Leicester City, which only resulted in one goal.
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