BBC Sports “If Wilder wants him” – Sheffield United backed to beat West Brom, Watford FC to Liverpool transfer deal.

This post is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which features personal comments from FLW Fan Pundits on breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings, and more. Sheffield United have been tipped to beat Championship rivals West Bromwich Albion and Watford to the signing of Liverpool’s Lewis Koumas, who spent the first half of the season at Stoke City but could be recalled by Arne Slot’s side due to interest elsewhere.

Following COH Sports Group’s successful purchase of the club from Prince Abdullah at the end of December, the Blades are looking to make a statement of intent in the January transfer window. This will free up additional funds and allow Chris Wilder to bring fresh faces to Bramall Lane as he bids to return his side to the promised land at the first time of asking. United are presently third in the Championship, and they are apparently in talks to sign Ben Brereton Diaz and Hamza Choudhury, who are both under contract with Premier League clubs Southampton and Leicester City.

Their business, however, seemingly isn’t going to stop there, as the promotion hopefuls are one of three Championship sides linked with a January swoop for Koumas amid speculation of a potential recall from the Bet 365 Stadium.

Sheffield United in transfer race with West Brom, Watford for Liverpool’s Stoke City loanee, Lewis

KoumasAccording to Mail Sport, Championship clubs Sheffield United, West Brom, and Watford are all interested in signing Koumas in January, after he impressed on loan with Stoke this season.

The 19-year-old attacker, who can play on either flank or through the middle as a striker or attacking midfielder, has been highly regarded for some time, having scored on his first-team debut for Liverpool last season under Jürgen Klopp. He’s gone a long way towards proving his worth in the Potteries, scoring four goals and providing two assists in 29 Championship and EFL Cup appearances while playing for a struggling team at the bottom of the division.

Stoke are thought to be hoping to keep him for the entire season, but given the level of Koumas’ pursuers, Liverpool will have to make a decision, and if they want him to move to the top team, Bramall Lane will be the best option. Interestingly, the Blades are described as “long-term admirers” of the youthful attacker, which could indicate a more permanent arrangement by the summer of 2025.

Sheffield United backed to beat West Brom, Watford to Liverpool’s Lewis Koumas

FLW asked Jimmy, our resident Blades fan pundit, if he thought Koumas would make a decent addition for the rest of the season. Though Jimmy admits to not having seen much of the Welsh international, he sees that Koumas would fill a vital gap in the team, which is currently short on natural wide-left options, and may be a wise addition for his side. United have made extensive use of the Premier League loan market this season, with Alfie Gilchrist and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi impressing while away from Chelsea and Crystal Palace, respectively. The same was stated for Harry Souttar, of course, but the on-loan Leicester City defender is now poised to miss the rest of the season due to injury and United will want to continue utilising top-flight agreements to enhance their promotion chances.

“It’s a difficult one this, because I’ve only seen him in small snippets and very limited minutes,” Jimmy told Football League World.

“He’s looked very good in that period, but is he going to be the game-changer that we need?

“We’ve got to be very particular and specific with making sure we use our loan spots for game-changers, they need to be difference-makers, they need to be impacting the first-team and the position he plays, predominantly on the wing, we do need players that can play out there and make us a bit more orthodox with our wing play.

“So I’d welcome a player of that calibre, but is there better talent out there? I’m not sure because, as I previously stated, he’s performed well in the minutes I’ve seen him play, but I haven’t seen enough of him to determine whether he’s been a true difference-maker (at Stoke). “If he’s anything like his father (former Cardiff City and West Brom midfielder Jason), then get him in. He definitely has a strong pedigree from the Liverpool academy; if Wilder wants him and we get him, we’ll back him.”

Read more on sportupdates.co.uk