Sheffield United defender Anel Ahmedhodzic is very likely to be sold by Sheffield United this summer, and it comes as no surprise that the Bosnian international is attracting interest from clubs from all over Europe.
The 25-year-old joined the Blades in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth approximately £4 million. He started his Sheffield United career off in unbelievable form and it was quite clear early on that the club had a pulled off a bargain deal for a promising defender.
Through the early months of his time under Paul Heckingbottom he consistently showcased both his attacking and defensive abilities. Marauding runs down the right, scoring goals, assisting others, and making last ditch challenges in the defensive third quickly became a regular occurrence.
However, due to having a bad case of glandular fever over the winter his performance levels suffered because of it. But, he did regain some of that form before 2022/23 campaign concluded. Ahmedhodzic would finish the Championship campaign with six goals and two assists in 34 apperances, while helping to keep 16 clean sheets.
Many of the Sheffield United faithful believed Ahmedhodzic was ready to step up to the Premier League upon gaining automatic promotion.
Anel Ahmedhodzic had a disappointing campaign for Sheffield United
Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that it would not be the case. Although maintaining his threat in the attacking phase, scoring two goals in 31 top-flight games, the former Malmo player kept just one clean sheet.
Of course, it was always going to be a struggle to ask the likes of Ahmedhodzic and Auston Trusty to step up in the absence of two veteran defenders: John Egan and Chris Basham, two players of which have accumulated 171 Premier League matches between them. While, Ahmedhodzic was making his debut in the English top-flight along with Trusty.
Nevertheless, his overall performances were still a disappointment as the Bramall Lane faithful had high hopes for the 25-year-old. Although he had the odd good performance when Chris Wilder was brought back to the club, he was still a massive let down as he etches his name in unwanted Premier League history: the Blades hold the record for the worst defence (104 goals conceded) in the competitions history.
Ahmehodzic attracting interest from clubs all over Europe
Despite a poor showing in the just-finished season, it is evident that Anel Ahmedhodzic does have some very good attributes. Perhaps moving to a team with better players around him will bring his potential out of him. Only time will tell.
It is on record that Italian giants Napoli are interested in the Sheffield United centre-back, and now The Mirror are reporting Atalanta are also keen on signing the Bosnian.
Gian Gasperini, Atalanta’s coach, is well known for his implementation of the 3-5-2/5-3-2 system. In fact, the 66-year-old was the mastermind behind the infamous “overlapping centre-back system” that Chris Wilder began to deploy during his League One days with the Blades.
Throughout the years Gasperini has tweaked elements of his system slightly, but the wing-back and wide centre-backs have remained. With Ahmedhodzic’s attacking nature, perhaps the newly crowned UEFA Europa League champions would be seen as an attractive move.
The report also claims Chelsea have shown interest in the United defender. His current price-tag is reportedly £20 million, however it is said that he has a release clause set at £17 million.
