Sheffield United have established themselves as Championship title challengers following last season’s relegation from the Premier League, and could be set for an immediate top-flight return.
Despite a disastrous season last year and a two-point deduction this season, the Blades have had several impressive results, including a 1-0 victory over fellow automatic promotion hopefuls Sunderland last month and a win over Steel City Derby rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Manager Chris Wilder has a star-studded roster consisting of talented individuals, including former Coventry City duo Callum O’Hare and Gus Hamer, while prodigy Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, on loan from Premier League Crystal Palace, has impressed on multiple occasions.
While it is unclear which level the promotion-chasing Blades will play in next season, Football League World looks at the two players who will leave Bramall Lane next summer, assuming nothing changes between now and the conclusion of the season:
Rhian Brewster
The Blades signed former Liverpool attacker Rhian Brewster in 2020 on a five-year contract that is slated to expire at the end of the current season.
It would be fair to argue that the Englishman has not lived up to his £23.5 million price tag, as he has never scored more than four goals in a single season for the South Yorkshire club.
| Rhian Brewster 2023/24 Premier League stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 13 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
He has failed to live up to his potential after excelling for England in their Under-17 World Cup victory in India in 2017, and Wilder’s team must be envious of Brewster’s 2019/20 loan spell with fellow Championship side Swansea City, during which he scored 11 goals in 22 league games.
Liverpool are unlikely to cash in on the 15% sell-on option they signed with the Blades when they sold the 24-year-old striker, since his contract with the club expires next summer.
Jack Robinson
Defender Jack Robinson joined the Blades from then-Championship team Nottingham Forest in January 2020 and signed a two-year contract extension with the South Yorkshire club in 2023.
He appeared in nine Premier League games for Wilder’s side in the second half of the 2019/20 season, helping them finish in an unexpected ninth place.
Robinson then made 11 league appearances in the 2020/21 Premier League season, but his efforts were insufficient to keep the Blades from relegation to the second tier.
However, after returning to the Championship, the former Forest player was able to demonstrate his talent, playing a significant role as the Bramall Lane club advanced to the play-offs in 2022.
The 31-year-old was also crucial when the Blades achieved automatic promotion back to the Premier League in 2023, and he appeared in 34 top-flight games last season, but his club failed to avoid relegation once more.
Robinson has long been a dependable asset for his club in both the Premier League and the Championship, therefore it could be argued that Wilder and his team should be more willing to renew the defender’s contract before the conclusion of the season than Brewster’s.
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