Sheffield United face two transfer concerns, one involves Rhian Brewster | OneFootball

The Blades approach a potentially vital January transfer window with a couple of important dilemmas and decisions on their hands.

Chris Wilder will lead his Sheffield United side into one of the club's most important January transfer windows in recent times, as the Blades look to make an instant return to the Premier League this season.

Sheffield United head into the festive period in excellent shape, and look like the promotion contenders that many believed they would be so far this term.

Blades boss Wilder knows the importance of having a strong winter window, as he told The Star recently: "I'd like to think we will be able to do some business in January.

"We still have two loan slots which is good and promising. But the chemistry is really important. For me we don't need four, five and six but we do need two or three to bolster and I'd like to think we'd get that opportunity to do that.

"The prize is big at the end of the season, we're not shying away from it and the second part of the season will take its toll and the strongest squads will come through. And if we have the ability to do that, it'll strengthen us and make us better through that."

So, what dilemmas may he have on his hands in January? Which players will he and the club potentially have to make a big call on?

Sheffield United may need to decide if Ismaila Coulibaly has a role to play

A player who has never really arrived at Bramall Lane despite signing for Sheffield United in September 2020, Ismaila Coulibaly really is a forgotten man in the Blades' squad.

The 23-year-old midfielder has made just a handful of senior appearances for the club since joining from Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08 over four years ago, and has found himself out in the cold yet again so far this season.

A Malian international, Coulibaly has been shipped out on numerous loans during his time as a Blade, spending time with Belgian side Beerschot (who are a sister club to the Blades, both owned currently by Prince Abdullah), and Swedish outfit AIK respectively.

During those spells, he has put in some impressive performances, and shown flashes of the once highly-rated young player that Sheffield United had signed.

Now with the Blades gunning for promotion, Wilder will only call upon players that he has total confidence in, and Coulibaly just doesn't appear to fall into that category.

Crucially, as far as a January decision needing to be made goes, Coulibaly's contract is up at the end of the season. Therefore, the club needs to decide whether they want to try and sell him in the new year, or keep him around and allow him to become a free agent in the summer.

Either way, Coulibaly will want clarity on if he has a future in South Yorkshire, as he will want plenty of time to plan his next steps, with plenty of time to get his once promising career back on track.

Do Blades sign another striker, or is Wilder confident current crop can fire them to the Premier League?

Across the board, it's hard to spot too many glaring weaknesses in Sheffield United's squad. One area that Wilder may feel requires reinforcements, however, is his striking department.

Kieffer Moore and Tyrese Campbell have shared the workload up top so far this season, but both players have had recent injury troubles which have limited their game time - albeit the latter is in sparkling form for the Blades since coming into the side and is looking like a bargain free transfer deal.

Campbell however suffered multiple injury problems during his time with Stoke City, and Moore has been dealing with a calf problem since early November this year.

Behind them two, Wilder's only other senior and natural centre-forward that he could call upon is Rhian Brewster, who's also struggled with a significant number of injury woes during his career.

When Brewster has been able to play, he's rarely been able to make a meaningful impact in a Blades shirt, with his last goal for the club coming in a 3-1 defeat to Stoke City in early October 2022.

Like the aforementioned Coulibaly, his contract is also set to expire at the end of the season, and with the combination of injuries and a lack of production, his long-term future at Bramall Lane is surely in major doubt.

When fit and available, Moore and Campbell have proven themselves to be solid marksmen at Championship level, but does Wilder have the confidence that they can score enough goals - and indeed stay fit - to fire the club to promotion?

If he doesn't, then surely the signing of a new striker will be made a top priority in January. Either way, it will be fascinating to see how the club view their strength in depth at this position group in the new year.