'Baffling if we don’t dip further into the loan market'
- Published
Ben Meakin, BladesPod, external
It’s going to be a big two weeks for Sheffield United as the transfer deadline looms. Two weeks that will tell us if we’ll have a serious tilt at survival this season, or whether we’re in for another long season like our last Covid-affected top-flight campaign.
Even with our limited budget, and the arrivals of seven players since the end of last season, we simply have to make more moves in the market in order to give ourselves a chance. Those seven arrivals are offset by numerous departures over the summer and only three new signings have been deemed ready for a Premier League start so far.
With only one loan slot used, it will be baffling if we don’t dip further into the loan market to at least fill out the squad before the deadline. We’ve been forced to name benches filled with players who’ve barely – or in some cases, never – played league football before, which is arguably harming their own development as well as our survival chances.
I understand that better players usually only become available for loan later on in transfer windows, something that United fans witnessed first-hand with Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolves two years ago.
I’m still holding out hope for at least one loanee of that calibre but, with injuries already biting and the squad as it is, pretty much any half-decent striker in Europe strolls into our first team right now.
Surely there’s someone out there who fancies showcasing themselves in the Premier League shop window for a season? The next two weeks will tell us a lot about our chances for the rest of the campaign.