The drama at the top of the Championship table never ceases to disappoint, as Sheffield United were dealt a harsh reality check last time out.
Indeed, the Blades, who had won three games in a row in the exciting division, crashed at home to Hull City on Friday night, when Ruben Selles’ Tigers scored a surprise 3-0 victory to sour the mood at Bramall Lane.
Wilder will hope that this is simply a blip on the route to greater success, as his previous promotion teams have typically prided themselves on tough defensive performances despite conceding three goals at home.
Jack O’Connell, a defensive titan who signed for the club when the Blades were relegated to League One, is still revered today as a major character from this great period in South Yorkshire.
Jack O’Connell’s importance at United
The 6 foot 3 defender would serve the team faithfully until 2023, when a painful revelation of his retirement was made public.
Prior to that, however, O’Connell was a dependable behemoth at Bramall Lane for many seasons, making a total of 177 appearances.
Aside from keeping a stunning 17 clean sheets during the memorable 2018/19 season, which more than helped United reach the Premier League, O’Connell would also establish a reputation as a goalscoring presence up from the back, scoring nine times during his distinguished time at the club.
Unfortunately, physical problems continued to afflict the defender as his time in South Yorkshire progressed, resulting to his heartbreaking retirement two years ago despite numerous highlights.
However, Wilder could be on the verge of winning his second incarnation of the towering Englishman if this late-season purchase goes through, as the passionate manager attempts to improve his team’s defence following a shock defeat to Hull.
The player who could be O’Connell 2.0
The man in question here is Queens Park Rangers’ Jimmy Dunne, who Football League World reported a few days ago was being pursued by Wilder and co.
Dunne definitely possesses many of the same distinguishing characteristics that made O’Connell such a revered figure at Bramall Lane, with the 27-year-old becoming a crucial striker for the Hoops this season as well as a man mountain defensively.
| Dunne’s league numbers (24/25) vs O’Connell’s (18/19) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat – per 90 mins* | Dunne | O’Connell |
| Games played | 29 | 41 |
| Goals scored | 4 | 3 |
| Assists | 1 | 3 |
| Touches* | 69.3 | 70.2 |
| Accurate passes* | 34.7 (76%) | 41.7 (77%) |
| Interceptions* | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Tackles* | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Total duels won* | 7.8 | 6.3 |
| Stats by Sofascore | ||
Looking at the chart above, there are many eerie similarities between the two defenders, with both having a similar desire to be involved in attacks, with Dunne scoring four goals this season to O’Connell’s three.
However, both brutes try to be aerially dominant for their respective teams, with the QPR ace leading the way with an average of 7.8 duels won per league game this season, compared to his now-retired counterpart’s 6.3.
It remains to be seen whether Marti Cifuentes will let such a prominent component of his team leave, but Wilder would love to go back in time and get a player in the mold of O’Connell, especially with Harry Souttar sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The Blades cannot afford any more porous performances like the Hull defeat to have a severe influence on their promotion aspirations, and the acquisition of this £8.5k-per-week target will undoubtedly make them much harder to penetrate.
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