“Better options out there” - Sheffield United told to snub deal for 23-year-old | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield United signed Yasser Larouci last summer from French club Troyes on loan for the season.

The Blades agreed an option to buy clause with the Ligue 2 side to potentially make the deal permanent.

With the campaign now coming to an end, a decision will need to be made on what the future holds for the full-back.

Larouci has featured just 10 times in the Premier League for the Yorkshire outfit, including only five starts, with the Blades bottom of the table and already relegated back into the EFL.

The 23-year-old’s most recent appearance came on 13 April in a 2-0 loss to Brentford, featuring for 56 minutes before being substituted.

Better out there than Larouci for Sheffield United

FLW’s Sheffield United fan pundit Owain Wyse believes that the club should avoid triggering the option to buy clause in the deal for Larouci.

He believes that there are too many players ahead of him in the pecking order, and that he hasn’t proven himself as an important part of the first team squad at Bramall Lane.

“I wouldn’t be triggering the option to sign Larouci, no,” Wyse told Football League World.

“He’s been a bit-part player all season, and two managers now haven’t seen that required level from him.

“He’s behind Ben Osborn, Max Lowe and Rhys Norrington-Davies, if we can ever get him fit, and even if they’re not able to play and even if they’re not fit for next year, I do think there are better options out there.”

Larouci has featured in four defeats in a row in his last four appearances for his loan club, last playing in a positive result in the team’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in December.

Sheffield United's Premier League relegation

Sheffield United secured promotion to the Premier League last year under Paul Heckingbottom, but have already had their relegation back to the Championship confirmed.

The Yorkshire outfit will now be planning for life in the second tier, as they target a third promotion in six years.

United have earned just 16 points from their 35 games played so far, with Chris Wilder now in charge of the Blades.

Wilder’s team will face Nottingham Forest, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur in their final three games.

They will need to win all three fixtures in order to have a chance at avoiding coming bottom.

Larouci deal should be avoided by Sheffield United

Sheffield United will have other priorities in the transfer market this summer, so should avoid turning Larouci’s loan deal into a permanent one.

He simply hasn’t been impressive enough to consider keeping long-term, even if he might be more suited to life in the Championship.

If the club is to compete in the top flight in the long run then they will need players of a higher calibre than the 23-year-old.

Also, given the uncertainty over the club’s finances, this is not the type of signing that the club should be making this summer.