Oliver Arblaster once again showcased his wonderful ability in Sheffield United’s midfield against Chelsea.
Since his integration into the starting eleven during the away match against Bournemouth prior to the last international break, Oli Arblaster has more than demonstrated his ability to perform in a Premier League midfield at a young age. This was further solidified with another impressive display against Fulham.
Maintaining the highest pass completion rate among all United players, the boyhood Blade showcased his skills as he orchestrated United’s third goal, executing a splendid Ronaldo chop in midfield to evade multiple Fulham players.
The 19-year-old put in another solid showing against Liverpool at Anfield, and he finished the game completing the most passes out of any other Blades player. This marked an impressive feat for the youngster as it meant: across his first three Premier League starts he either made the most successful passes, or had the best pass completion rate out of any United player. Last Sunday he extended that to four games in a row.
Against Chelsea, Arblaster made 44 successful passes, 16 more than the next best for a United player, and he had the Blades’ best completion rate once more with 86%. 11 of those 44 passes were into the final third. He also finished the game with a 100% tackle success ratio as well as 100% dribbles completed.
Arblaster’s contributions have been instrumental in United’s recent games, marking him as a key player in the team’s lineup.
Oli Arblaster wants to prove his ability against the best midfielders in the Premier League
Speaking after the Chelsea game to SUTV, Arblaster stated that he wants to prove he’s better than the Premier League’s most expensive midfielders: “You do look at these players and what they do on TV, but I want to be one of them players. I want to be a £60/£70 million player. I don’t want to be just settling for playing against these type of players. I want to be better than them.”
He added: “Keith Andrews is really good with me and we sit and go through clips, my clips and other world class midfielders and little things I want to add to my game. I feel like I’m growing. I’m not near my best and I’ve got a lot to work on, but the coaching staff here have really helped me.”
The teenager is everything Sheffield United have missed all season
The athleticism, awareness and composure of Oli Arblaster is something Sheffield United missed earlier on in the season in their midfield. In the teenager the Blades have someone that can keep things ticking over, can progress the ball through passing or dribbling and can do diligent defensive work.
For a 19-year-old to break through into the first team and show this amount of class in the Premier League is absolutely mind-blowing. He is performing like this against opposition midfielders with combined valuations of £200 million plus.
The boyhood Blade has a contract with the club until 2028, but his performances have alerted Aston Villa, Liverpool, and West Ham. Sheffield United must keep hold of Arblaster at all costs because he is quite clearly the future of our midfield.
