"Like Ollie Arblaster" - Sheffield United duo tipped for January transfer window exits | OneFootball

The pair have been flourishing in the youth ranks this season.

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...

There are some special talents that have come through Sheffield United's ranks in the past season or so, with some earning the trust of Chris Wilder and gaining first-team minutes in 2024.

A city like Sheffield, with the two clubs they have and the other teams in Yorkshire that surround them, are almost always going to have a good pool of young talent coming through their systems.

Most recently, on the Blades' side of things, two midfielders have broken into the first-team's ranks and really made a name for themselves: Ollie Arblaster and Sydie Peck.

Arblaster has ascended quicker than Peck has, captaining the club at Old Trafford in the Premier League and continuing to do so after their relegation, but the two 20-year-olds have done the hardest bit and made it into the first-team.

It's very rare that players of the pair's age break into a first-team like United's. They were in the Premier League just last season, where only three per cent of academy players play a single minute in the first-team.

To help them get to that level, some, like Arblaster, who spent the first half of last season with Port Vale, require a loan move away in order to gain first-team experience at a lower level.

And according to Football League World'sBlades fan pundit, Jimmy, from The Blades Ramble on YouTube, there are a couple of players in the club's ranks that could do with some time away from Bramall Lane.

Sheffield United urged to find loan moves for Louie Marsh & Ryan Oné in January

Jimmy believes that loan moves in January for academy products Louie Marsh and Ryan Oné would serve the attacking duo well.

Both players have appeared on the bench for United's first-team multiple times this season, but they have had more success with the club's under-21's, netting plenty of goals in the process.

Speaking to FLW regarding youngsters that could benefit from a stint away from Bramall Lane, Jimmy said: "There are a couple of players that jump off the page, to be honest, in terms of loan moves.

"They don't appear to be close to the first-team, however they are fairly highly thought of at the club as prospects.

"The first one is Louie Marsh. He had an unfortunate spell at Doncaster last season where he picked up a bad injury and had to return and cut his loan short, but he could do with regular first-team football.

"Both him and Ryan Oné, the other player I'm going to mention - could really do with it. They're scoring goals for fun in the under-21s, and we are pushing to become a Category One academy.

"But, at the moment, the levels of opposition just aren't there to test them and get them close to our first-team.

"So I'd like them to go out into the EFL, both of them, good, young, raw attackers, and get some experience, get some goals, and come back better players, much like Ollie Arblaster did at Port Vale last season. He's now become integral to the way that we play.

"So Louie Marsh and Ryan Oné to get some first-team experience, hopefully, in January."

Loan moves could be important for Louie Marsh & Ryan Oné development at Sheffield United

There maybe is a bit of hesitancy in some situations where clubs don't want to send their emerging talents to the lower leagues for fear of them not developing in the exact way that they would want them to.

But, as has been proven many times over the years, it is increasingly hard to make the transition from the under-21s straight into top-level first-team football.

The physicality, the intensity, the demands, the pressure; they're all on a different level, and that is why these loan moves can be so important for players in their formative years - it gets players used to the life they are about to lead.

It's like a low-risk apprenticeship, in a way. They gain that invaluable on-the-job experience that starts them on their path towards a hopefully prosperous career, and the Blades must remember that heading into January, instead of keeping Marsh and Oné around to play under-21's football.