Sheffield United are preparing to lose at least a couple of players in the summer, if relegation to the Championship is confirmed.
By now, the fanbase is fully aware of the transfer deal United have with Aston Villa for Cameron Archer.
The 22-year-old embarked on his journey with Sheffield United during the summer, for an estimated fee of £18 million, securing a contract extension until 2027. Further details were revealed stating that the initial agreement amounted to £9 million.
Additionally, contingent upon Sheffield United’s performance, if they maintained their top-tier status, they would owe Aston Villa an additional £9 million. Conversely, relegation would result in a reimbursement of the initial £9 million with Villa having an obligation-to-buy in case of this scenario.
The Blades’ CEO Stephen Bettis has confirmed to The Star that there will be at least one other player leaving the club in the summer.
Stephen Bettis on preparing for summer sales at Sheffield United
Bettis explained:
“It’s also a realism as well that there’ll probably be a couple of players who don’t want to play in the Championship. At that point it’s about us doing the right business with them. I can see one or two leaving in the summer, yeah. Without going into detail, we did a few good deals with players … good business deals which protect the club if we go down as well.”
We know Archer will be one of those players exiting in the summer. Other potential sales could include Anel Ahmedhodzic or Vinicius Souza.
The former has been subject of a transfer offer in the past couple of windows which the Blades instantly rejected. Meanwhile, Souza might deem playing in the Championship too much of a step down in his career.
My view
In the upcoming summer, Sheffield United face the prospect of as many as 13 players seeing their contracts expire, predominantly within their defensive ranks. And while Anel Ahmedhodzic is not one of them, I personally think the club will cash in on the Bosnian international for the right price.
The 24-year-old defender has two years remaining on his contract, and while he has proven to be a very good defender at Championship level, he has had plenty of moments to forget in the Premier League, leaving people to question whether he is a top-flight calibre player.
Like I mentioned above, I don’t think Sheffield United will be in a rush to sell Ahmedhodzic unless someone swoops in with a very good offer.
Additionally, Vinicius Souza could depart the Blades in the summer window. In my opinion, this would be very likely. The 24-year-old Brazilian has three years left on his contract, and I think he’d fetch in the biggest fee if a sale takes place; meaning more money for the summer rebuild.
While I like the combative nature of Souza, he has some really poor tendencies and weaknesses. His lack of pace and agility is an issue in the Premier League, and he is caught ball-watching too often – leaving opposition midfielder’s to easily run off the back of him – on occasions those mistakes have proven very costly.
Too much of a step down for Souza ? Are you kidding me ? He’s not even good enough for the championship . Time for a big clear out , Norwood , Osborn , Fodderingham to name but 3 . New ownership also needs to be sorted, the Prince and Bettis need to go and get someone in who wants to invest properly.
There should be enough strength in the squad for a top six position as a minimum. Success depends on getting the blend right.