Sheffield United will look to challenge Leeds United for promotion this season.
Sheffield United appear to be getting closer to a significant transaction, with sources indicating the takeover might be completed this week. Leeds United’s primary Championship promotion rivals look ready to benefit financially from the potential new owners, who may aim to strengthen the squad for a post-January promotion drive.
The Championship club’s future has been uncertain for months due to lengthy negotiations between current owner Prince Abdullah and a US-based consortium. Deadlines have come and gone all season, causing growing dissatisfaction among fans, with the departing manager understandably wary of spending heavily before cashing in.
However, talks appear to have progressed in recent days, with journalist Alan Nixon reporting on Monday that a deal may be sealed ‘in the next 48 hours’, with the Steve Rosen-led group likely to purchase Sheffield United for roughly £105 million. The Star has also backed up such reports, stating that an agreement appears to be ‘imminent’ following recent strides forward.
A number of speed bumps have been overcome, including a restructuring within the purchasing consortium and an EFL need for financial assurances, and confirmation is now expected before Sheffield United meet Sheffield Wednesday this weekend. It means that the promotion-chasing Blades will have new and ambitious owners long before the January transfer window begins.
However, Nixon suggests that there may be early tension between the new owners and their management, so a luxurious mid-season window is not certain. He thinks Rosen is eager to spend money to help their promotion hopes, whilst Chris Wilder may be wary of messing with a tight-knit side that is performing well.
Blades are right in the mix. Despite losing more than a dozen first-team players and investing nothing in the summer, those in command at Bramall Lane have assembled a competitive, albeit rather slender, squad. Harrison Burrows, Kieffer Moore, and Michael Cooper were signed for seven-figure prices, while Callum O’Hare, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, and Alfie Gilchrist joined for free or on loan.
Sheffield United are now third in the Championship, one spot and one point behind Leeds, having beaten Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City 2-0 in the last week. These victories enabled Wilder’s side to rebound from a lacklustre performance that saw them lose by the same scoreline at Elland Road last month.
Wilder admitted that Leeds were ‘head and shoulders’ above any club they’d ever played against and deserved to win on the night, with second-half goals from Pascal Struijk and Mateo Joseph completing off a dominant performance by Daniel Farke’s side. Despite that setback, Sheffield United would have been ahead of their Yorkshire rivals if not for a two-point deduction prior to the season starting.
Confirmation of the takeover will provide stability to the South Yorkshire club ahead of a critical winter period, with the expectation that funds will be available if Wilder want to reinforce in January. The Blades, along with Leeds, are widely predicted to win promotion, with early frontrunners Sunderland also looking competitive.
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