Skip to content
Explaining Paul Heckingbottom’s Sheffield United transfer statement and Premier League challenge
While last season’s summer planning went swimmingly, Paul Heckingbottom is expecting a completely different window this time round as he looks to put together a squad capable of competing in the Premier League.
The Blades boss headed off for his summer holiday before next month’s return to training having sounded the warning that he expects things to be ‘harder than last season in terms of things happening and action’.
“I have got a feeling we will be waiting on more things,” he told Yorkshire Live following the final day match at Birmingham. “We didn’t need to do much last season and it will be very similar again but we are going up another level.
READ MORE: Prince Abdullah admission highlights Sheffield United necessity with Premier League riches
“It’s that calibre of player with the same money and same fee, if it was that easy everyone would be doing it. That’s the challenge and that’s why it’s going to be harder.”
So why will it be harder and why will Paul Heckingbottom have to play a waiting game?
Yorkshire Live looks at the challenges facing Sheffield United in this summer’s transfer window.
The most obvious is the financial restraints compared to the majority of other clubs in the division. While a big fish in the Championship, they will again be in the bottom three when it comes to wages in this division. All contracts will also include a significant relegation wage cut, meaning attracting established Premier League players on permanent deals will be difficult.
Some targets have already been identified and spoken to with one shown around the Shirecliffe training complex recently but those players may want to assess their options before making a decision. There could well be a new plan for potential candidates this time next month as lists get ripped up and new ones are drawn throughout the summer.
This was the case last time as United missed out on several targets, forcing the recruitment team and manager to start again.
One example of this could have already happened. United have been linked with Habib Diallo of Strasbourg. He may well have been one of a number of players they have been looking at, but reports from France are now claiming a host of clubs, such as West Ham, are interested and the fee will be around the £20m mark.
If that is indeed the case, then United may have to park that one meaning a player who was a target at the start of the summer is no longer within range as finances become clearer.
Tommy Doyle is another player Heckingbottom wants to bring back. He would fit the mould perfectly for what Prince Abdullah laid out this week in terms of the recruitment specifications.
However, he would have to take a huge pay cut, and as mentioned earlier, risk that wage dropping further should they get relegated. The transfer fee would also likely take up the majority if not all of Heckingbottom’s money in this market, meaning he may have to be an option for a loan.
There is no getting away from the fact both Heckingbottom and head of recruitment Paul Mitchell will have to be cute and clever and look to pull off some of their previous best work, such as the signing of Anel Ahmedhodzic, which at £4m will rank as one of their best pieces of business.
A lot of time and effort went into getting that deal over the line and it will have to be the same again if they are to make the budget for permanent signings work.
One thing that may go in United’s favour is Prince Abdullah’s recent admission they are targeting young players with the money set aside for permanent transfers.
With the majority of clubs looking at tried and tested Premier League quality, that could open the door for United to be one of the best positioned in the youth market, being able to offer the opportunity of further development and first-team opportunities at the highest level.
As United found out last time, putting all their eggs into the English basket comes with a Premier League tax, meaning they may have a lot of irons in European fires with transfer fees not as high as in this country.
United will certainly be an attraction to players in Europe looking to come here.
While signing established Premier League players on permanent deals will be difficult, their chances are greater served in attracting these via the loan market.
United can offer a much higher contribution to wages than when signing on a permanent deal and Prince Abdullah has already stated he expects Heckingbottom and Mitchell to make full use of this by signing players who are regular starters.
If they can, there could be genuine talent who can help on a temporary deal.
With only two domestic loans permitted, Mitchell’s focus in this market will also be abroad but they may have to wait as clubs tend to want to hold on to players until later in the window once they have their own recruitment in line and can afford to let bodies out of the building.
Other players will also come available late on who are not on the radar now as clubs react to their own signings. United are likely to leave one or two slots available for last-minute deals in the hope of snaffling a gem, similar to when Morgan Gibbs-White popped up on the last day.
It won’t be an easy window and supporters will have to be patient for the squad to take shape.
