Once again the madness of the summer transfer window has come to a close for another year and in amongst the multi million pound transfer fees Sheffield United came away with 10 new players to bolster their squad for the next 5 months at least. This article will profile our new signings and I will give my opinion on whether or not I believe these signings will make an impact on the Blades Championship campaign or not.
Richard Stearman Signed from Fulham for £810K Age: 30 Career appearances/Goals: 392/12 Previous Clubs: Leicester City, Wolves, Ipswich, Fulham Good signing or Bad signing? Stearman comes to the Blades with vital Championship and even Premier League experience with nearly 400 professional league games on his resume as well as some promotions under his belt. At 30 years old and on a 3 year contract I believe that Richard Stearman will be a valuable asset to the team and will be able to pass on advice to younger members of the team. All in all, a solid signing. John Lundstram Signed from Oxford United for £504k Age: 23 Career appearences/Goals: 147/6 Previous Clubs: Everton, Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Leyton Orient, Blackpool, Scunthorpe United, Oxford United Good signing or Bad signing? Lundstram was at one time a highly rated prospect coming through the ranks of Everton and was tipped for big things, however it has not panned out that way yet for the young Liverpudlian, instead he has taken the hard route to the top working his way up through the lower leagues of English football before finally working his way into the championship. Even though there are parallels between Lundstram and another Liverpudlian who once represented this club I believe that Lundstram has a better head on him than a certain Mr Baxter and will flourish under Wilder. At 23 we are yet to see Lundstram peak but I believe that if he plays well, we could be looking at a future Blades captain. Ben Heneghan Signed from Motherwell for £387k Age: 23 Career appearences/Goals: 122/7 Previous Clubs: Chester, Motherwell Good signing or Bad signing? The first of our two deadline day signings. Heneghan was a very under the radar signing and was a pleasant surprise however he seems to have become a little overshadowed by the fact that many Blades fans wanted a striker brought in however Heneghan, like Lundstram, has taken the long route to the Championship plying his trade for non league Chester only 4 years ago. He is another one for the future and will be a welcome defensive option for Wilder to have. Nathan Thomas Signed from Hartlepool United for £315k Age: 22 Career appearences/Goals: 100/16 Previous Clubs: Sunderland, Darlington 1883, Plymouth Argyle, Motherwell, Mansfield Town, Hartlepool United Good signing or Bad signing? Thomas was another of Wilders signings that came from out of no where. Originally looking like a move to boyhood club Middlesbrough was imminent, Thomas instead believed a move to the Blades would grant him more playtime. This logic has to be applauded because Thomas could easily have moved to his boyhood club and probably a bigger pay check but he decided that game time was more important to his career and at 22 I couldn't agree more. His eagerness to play will give Wilder a selection headache however, this headache will be a good one. Enda Stevens Signed from Portsmouth on a free transfer Age: 27 Career appearences/Goals: 227/3 Previous Clubs: UCD, St Patrick's Athletic, Shamrock Rovers, Aston Villa, Notts County, Doncaster Rovers, Northampton Town, Portsmouth Good signing or Bad Signing? A signing that many see as major coup. Stevens has been hailed as the best left back in League Two by Pompey fans and this has been backed up by Stevens being included in PFA League Two team of the year for his efforts in Portsmouth's title winning season. Stevens joins United coming into his prime years which boded well and is an instant upgrade on fellow Irishman Danny Lafferty. The fact that United got this talented player in for nothing shows how astute Wilder really is in the transfer market and it will be interesting to see how Stevens adapts to a higher standard of football. Clayton Donaldson Signed from Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee Age: 33 Career appearences/Goals: 491/176 Previous Clubs: Hull City, Harrogate Town, Scarborough, Halifax Town, York City, Hibernian, Crewe Alexandra, Brentford, Birmingham City Good signing or Bad signing? Our second deadline day signing and one that was met with many raised eyebrows. Throughout the day, United had been linked with Fleetwood Town forward Devante Cole and when it was hinted at that we were indeed signing a forward many were led to believe that Cole would be that forward. Alas, it was Donaldson. The strange thing about Donaldson is that he seems to go against things that Wilder looks for in a signing. At 33, he isn't going to get any younger or faster so many were scratching their heads as to why he signed. But with nearly 500 career appearences to his names and close to 200 career goals the argument could be made that wherever he goes, Donaldson has scored goals. He also adds another body to a forward line that looks incredibly thin at the moment with only two fit strikers available at the time of writing. Here's hoping Donaldson probes all the doubters wrong and is a hit at Bramall Lane. Ched Evans Signed from Chesterfield for an undisclosed fee Age: 28 Career appearences/Goals: 176/58 Previous Clubs: Manchester City, Norwich City, Sheffield United, Chesterfield Good signing or Bad signing? A signing that not many people saw coming. The news was originally broken on an episode of BBC Radio Sheffield programme Football Heaven and was originally dismissed as the radio station looking to stir things up between the two teams ahead of a pretty meaningless end of season match between the two clubs. However it soon became apparent that this news story was in fact true and sure enough, not long into the summer it was announced that Ched Evans would in fact be joining Sheffield United after 5 years away from the club. This move was met with a 60/40 split between Blades fans with many wanting to see the player succeed after he was acquitted of rape charges last year. however there were many that saw this as bad business by the club with many still associating him with that same horrific crime. The only way the player can make people remember him as footballer Ched Evans and not rapist Ched Evans is if he plays astoundingly well this season. However with injury doubts having plagued his return to football this move could easily be seen by many as a bit of a publicity stunt by the club and its owners. We will have to wait and see. George Baldock Signed from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee Age: 24 Career appearences/Goals: 182/7 Previous Clubs: MK Dons, Northampton Town, Tamworth, IBV, Oxford United Good signing or Bad signing? Baldock was another signing that came out of the blue and the right back will be welcome competition for Kieron Freeman to continue his blistering form from last season. Although injury problems have hampered his start to the season, Baldock seems to be working his way into the match day squad and will prove to be a versatile player for Wilder to have at his disposal. Jamal Blackman Signed from Chelsea on a season long loan Age: 23 Career appearences/Goals: 59/0 Previous Clubs: Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Ostersunds FK, Wycombe Wanderers Good signing or Bad signing? A goalkeeper didn't seem to be a major priority going into the new season with Simon Moore and Jake Eastwood looking to provide adequate cover for the new season. Then Moore got injured against Rotherham in pre season. Step up Blackman who was brought in from Chelsea to provide that cover for Moore and challenge for the No.1 jersey. The 6ft 6in goalie is a product of the infamous Chelsea loan system and even though he has played close to 60 games in his career, none have been for his parent club however he does have a Champions League medal to his name. he has been steady so far this season and will keep Moore on his toes when he comes back. Cameron Carter Vickers Signed from Tottenham Hotspur on a season long loan Age: 19 Career appearences/Goals: 0/0 Previous Clubs: Tottenham Hotspur Good signing or Bad signing? Another signing that was seen as a major coup by Wilder. Carter Vickers is a highly rated defender who is the current captain of the United States Under 23 team even though he is still technically a teenager. This bodes well for the Blades to bring in a player who is already trusted with captaining his countries B team at such a young age leads me to believe that this player has a bright future ahead of him and he could play a crucial part in United's campaign in the Championship. Overall good window or bad window? I believe that this summer transfer window has been an extremely fruitful one for United with a growing trend of young players who can grow with the club being brought in however these same players have already experienced the rigors of pro football with all but two of our summer signings having played 100 games or more at a professional level. Even though Wilder can be disappointed we couldn't get more over the line on deadline day as was rumoured. I think Wilder can be satisfied in the additions to his squad and can look forward to a competitive 5 months in the championship.
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AuthorHi my name is John and i will be giving my thoughts on the blades matches and all blades related news in this section Archives
November 2022
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