Harlee Dean makes Sheffield United transfer claim prior to Birmingham City move | OneFootball

Harlee Dean has revealed he had the chance to join Sheffield United before signing for Birmingham City.

Harlee Dean has revealed he had the chance to join Sheffield United before he signed for Birmingham City, but he claims going to Bramall Lane would’ve been a ‘step backwards’.

The centre-back, who was with Brentford at the time, had established himself as a very good player in the Championship with his performances for the Bees.

However, in the summer of 2017, a move was on the cards for Dean, and he would eventually join Blues, who were spending big at the time under Harry Redknapp.

Harlee Dean details Sheffield United transfer snub

But, that wasn’t the only option on the table for Dean, as he told the Undr The Cosh podcast that he could’ve moved to Sheffield United, but he wasn’t keen on the switch to Yorkshire as they had just ended a six-year stay in League One.

“I could have gone to Sheffield United, but they'd just come up from League One, so I thought it was a bit of a step backwards. They ended up getting promoted straight away. And [Nottingham] Forest, there wasn't an offer, but there were conversations.”

As Dean says, the Blades didn’t exactly regret not securing his signature, as they would push for the play-offs on their return to the second tier, before winning automatic promotion the year after.

That was under the guidance of Chris Wilder, with the boyhood fan taking the club to a top-half finish, and he is now back in charge of Sheffield United, attempting to repeat the success of his first spell.

Harlee Dean endures tough period at Birmingham

As mentioned, Dean moved to Birmingham when they were spending money under Redknapp, so the hope was that he would play his part in helping the team back to the Premier League.

But, that didn’t happen, with Blues battling relegation during his first campaign at the club, and they ended up finishing 19th.

Unfortunately, for the player and the club, more of the same was to follow, as Blues finished in the bottom half throughout Dean’s time at St. Andrew’s.

Admittedly, off-field issues began to cause problems for Birmingham, so they were no longer in a position to spend to strengthen the squad.

In that period, Dean became something of a divisive figure among the supporters, with some criticising the player for his displays, and his attitude on occasions. As a result, he had a short stint with Sheffield Wednesday on loan before returning to win his place back.

Ultimately though, Dean did play his part in keeping Blues in the league, during what was a six-year stay before he left for Reading in 2023 upon the expiry of his contract.

Birmingham City embarking on new era

A lot has changed for Birmingham in the past few years, and whilst the club were relegated to League One, there is a positive feeling around Blues now.

That’s down to the takeover by the US group led by Tom Wagner, with serious funding being put into both the squad and improving the infrastructure.

So, there is an expectation that Blues will take major strides forward in the years to come, although the first step is winning promotion under Chris Davies this season.