By Andrew Smith (@AndySmithJourno)
Sheffield United are on the verge of breaking a six-season curse, promotion is in their hands with 16 games remaining of the League One season. Bramall Lane is worthy of Championship football, and maybe even higher. But how would the Blades fair on their reintroduction to the second tier? Here are three reasons why the Blades would succeed in England’s second division.
Championship Quality
The Chris Wilder revolution has changed the fortunes of the Blades remarkably. Under previous managers the Blades have flirted with relegation to League Two, languished in mid-table, and failed to prosper in play-off campaigns. This is largely down to the lack of quality that has been in the Blades ranks. Anybody who thinks that the magical trio of Dean Hammond, Martyn Woolford and Conor Sammon could help the club achieve promotion needs to reconsider their career path. The Blades undoubtedly have more quality now than in recent seasons. Mark Duffy is the best player in League One on his day, and could easily cut it at the level above. Simon Moore has proved to be an accomplished shot stopper and looks destined for greater things. Captain Billy Sharp has proved himself in the Championship before and there’s no reason he couldn’t do the same again. Honourable mentions to John Fleck, Jake Wright and Paul Coutts, who could all slide into a number of Championship sides.
The Jester from Leicester
The Academy
Sheffield United’s academy has a proud history of producing top players, many who have gone on to play in the Premier League. Phil Jagielka, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and Kyle Naughton are just a bunch of United’s academy products that are playing in divisions higher than League One. However, as we are all aware, playing at this level means that the club struggles to hold on to its better young players. In recent times, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Aaron Ramsdale have been sold to Premier League clubs. However, if the club was able to consolidate itself in the Championship, then it’s chances of keeping young players increases. Players such as Ramsdale and Calvert-Lewin could go on to have big careers, if Sheffield United had been in the second tier at this current time, these players could have grown with the club.
Kyle Walker, who has 23 England Caps.
Spending Power
Where is Prince Abdullah? The Saudi Prince who owns a 50% share in the club is rarely seen around S2. His role in the Saudi government took him away from the club. The plan from the beginning was to push United into the Premier League “as quickly as possible.” The 51-year-old Saudi is thought to be worth £18 billion, a scary figure, however Financial Fair Play has restricted what the Blades can spend. Promotion to the Championship would help in increasing the ability to spend big money. For example, upon Bristol City’s promotion to the Championship, they bid up to £8 million for Dwight Gayle, who was playing for Crystal Palace at the time. Promotion would surely rekindle the Prince’s interest in the club, if United are promoted this season we might just see the true spending power of the mysterious part-owner.
HRH Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Crucially, the Blades have to seal promotion before plans for the Championship can commence. Wilder is aware of what is needed to achieve promotion, he has built a squad full of quality and hard workers. Everything is set up for the Blades to flourish in the Championship: a state of the art ground, a renowned academy, a huge fan base, and more importantly, a Blade in charge.
Andrew Smith 