There has been plenty of uncertainty concerning the Sheffield United attack in recent weeks. The club said goodbye to loanee Ben Brereton-Diaz, while Cameron Archer went back to Aston Villa based on the initial transfer agreement. More recently the Blades saw talented 20-year-old Daniel Jebbison sign for AFC Bournemouth, in which they will receive £1.5 million compensation plus further compensation packages.
On the flip side, United extended their business dealings with Bournemouth by acquiring 31-year-old Kieffer Moore for an undisclosed fee. The Welsh international signed on a three-year deal.
There is still no news on Oli McBurnie’s future, who has been a free agent for the past three weeks. Despite not being contracted to the club there has been rumours claiming the Scottish striker has been training at the Sheffield United training ground.
But as things stand, it looks as though McBurnie’s former Barnsley teammate, Moore, will be taking his place in the United squad.
Kieffer Moore on signing for the Blades
Speaking about his move to South Yorkshire, the experienced target man said to SUTV: “I’m very familiar with the area and it is always nice to come back to places where you’ve experienced success, it will help me settle in as well.
“For me to come back to the area is something I’m looking forward to.
“I’ll buy into everything the gaffer says, we’ve had some good conversations already and although these decisions take some thinking about, once I spoke to the manager I made my decision.
“I’ve always wanted to be somewhere where I’m playing regularly, so not doing that at Bournemouth was hard, last season I wanted to go and make an impact by playing some football and thankfully I had a fantastic time with Ipswich.
“I want to bring that experience and knowhow to the group and add to what is already here.”
Sheffield United have a proven Championship striker in Kieffer Moore
Speaking to the club’s official media team, Chris Wilder stated: “You don’t have to look far to see his impact in this division. His goals helped Bournemouth and most recently Ipswich to the Premier League. He is a proven operator.”
Moore is exactly the type of player Chris Wilder needed to secure just in case they can’t get a deal for McBurnie over the line. Moore has scored 54 goals and racked up 15 assists in 174 Championship appearances.
During his loan spell with Ipswich Town last season he provided seven goals and one assist in 18 appearances, helping Kieran McKenna’s side to automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Looking at the stats of Kieffer Moore versus Oli McBurnie
Compared to other Championship forwards last season, via FBref, Moore demonstrated remarkable prowess, ranking in the 91st percentile for non-penalty goals, 96th for total shots, 79th for shots on target, and 75th for goals per shot. Notably, his 46th percentile rank for non-penalty expected goals per shot suggests he often took shots from less optimal scoring positions.
When compared with Oli McBurnie’s 2022/23 Championship campaign, the similarities between the two players become apparent. McBurnie outperformed slightly, ranking in the 93rd percentile for non-penalty goals compared to Moore’s 91st, 97th for total shots versus Moore’s 96th, 85th for shots on target versus Moore’s 79th, and 68th for goals per shot compared to Moore’s 75th. However, McBurnie enjoyed marginally better shooting opportunities, as indicated by his 63rd percentile rank in non-penalty expected goals per shot.
Further analysis reveals Moore’s preference for a direct style of play. Last season, he ranked in the 83rd percentile for touches in the attacking third, a staggering 99th percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area, 76th for progressive passes received, and an impressive 99th percentile for percentage of aerial duels won.
In contrast, during Sheffield United’s promotion-winning campaign under Paul Heckingbottom, McBurnie ranked in the 86th percentile for touches in the attacking third, 97th for touches in the opposition box, 65th for progressive passes received, and 88th percentile for percentage of aerial duels won.
In terms of creativity, neither striker excels at generating numerous chances for teammates, yet their physicality allows them to serve as effective rebound boards. Moore’s stats in this area are quite revealing: he ranked in the 73rd percentile for goal-creating actions and 74th for shot-creating actions. However, his expected assists ranked lower, in the 27th percentile, and his key passes in the 66th percentile.
Comparatively, McBurnie, in his previous Championship season, ranked in the 42nd percentile for goal-creating actions and 60th for shot-creating actions, indicating Moore’s superior utility in chance creation. Interestingly, McBurnie had a higher expected assists ranking (76th percentile) but lagged behind in key passes, ranking in the 40th percentile.
Could the new system suit the new Sheffield United striker?
With the addition of Callum O’Hare and the potential acquisitions of wingers, added to the recent formation change to a 4-2-3-1, this would undoubtedly suit someone like Kieffer Moore. The Welshman relies on service, but he is capable of manufacturing a chance or two for himself just by simply battering ramming the opposition defenders.
Having someone like O’Hare, who can carry the ball past several players in one run, that could enable Moore to break away from his marker into space, and from there it is about playing the perfect weighted ball to him.
Although Moore is seen as a big target man he is still mobile enough to make runs beyond the defensive line. And I’m sure he can’t wait to play with O’Hare, Gustavo Hamer and Oli Arblaster this coming season.
