When contract negotiations for Oli McBurnie dragged on over the summer, Sheffield United getting Kieffer Moore to sign permanently from Bournemouth was a smart piece of business to keep that big physical presence at the top end of the pitch.
The 32-year-old Welsh international has shown over these first four Championship games exactly what he’s about. He isn’t just a big target to aim at, he can get involved in the link up play, as he showed for the opener against Preston North End on opening day. And he’s mobile enough to drift wide and create opportunities for his teammates in the box, as he showed to win the penalty against Watford with a perfectly weighted pass to Oli Arblaster.
Unfortunately Moore would miss the penalty he helped create. He already has one goal to his name, scoring United’s second against QPR, but he will admit he should have added a few more to that tally. Nonetheless, it’s been a promising start for the Welsh international, who managed to notch a goal inside a minute for Wales in midweek against Montenegro.
Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore on the club’s ambitions
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports, Moore spoke about United’s ambitions this season, as the Blades get set to travel to face Hull City on Friday night.
“Make no mistake, this club wants to be back in the Premier League and I think you can just tell by the recruitment and everything else, that it’s all leading in that direction,” he says.
“But I wouldn’t say there’s a big overwhelming kind of feeling that we’ve got to get back there. I think it’s going to be a process. We’re assembling a really good squad. We’ve got good management and good staff. But, ultimately, I think we need to, as cliche as it sounds, genuinely take it game-by-game.
“There are a lot of new faces in the building, a new playing style, and it’ll take a little time to gel. We just need to keep being at it, get as many points as we possibly can and just see where we end up near the end of the season.”
Moore is certainly no stranger to winning promotion from the Championship. He helped Bournemouth to this feat in the 2021/22 season, scoring nine goals in 26 appearances. And he helped Ipswich Town get promoted last term having netted seven goals in 18 appearances.
The Blades have a slight injury worry with Anel Ahmedhodzic heading into the game against Hull, but other than that they should be almost at full-strength, with Tom Davies still getting back to fitness.
With a victory on Friday evening, it would see Sheffield United jump into the top six, which is the minimum aim for the club this campaign.