New Sheffield United, Leicester City agreement makes complete sense: View | OneFootball

Harry Souttar has impressed since joining the Blades on loan

The 2024 summer transfer window saw something of an overhaul at Sheffield United.

Last season was a disastrous one for the Blades, who were relegated after just a single year in the Premier League, having finished bottom of the top-flight standings.

It was, therefore, no surprise to see plenty of changes to the first-team squad at Bramall Lane before the summer market closed on the 30th August.

In total, 16 senior players would depart the club in that period, with another ten added to the squad available to manager Chris Wilder.

One of those who was added to the Sheffield United squad before the end of the window, was Harry Souttar.

Sheffield United swooped for Leicester City centre-back

Back at the start of August, Souttar became one of those the Blades moved to add to their squad, with the Australian international joining on a season-long loan from Leicester City.

The Foxes, of course, are back in the Premier League this season, after winning promotion as Championship title winners during the 2023/24 campaign.

Souttar, though, finds himself back in the Championship with Sheffield United for this season, where he is already making an impression.

Speaking about the 25-year-old recently, Wilder suggested that he is open to the possibility of a permanent move for the player, if he can perform well while he is at Bramall Lane.

It could, however, be argued that Sheffield United should indeed already be plotting a permanent move for Souttar, ahead of the return of the transfer window.

Permanent Harry Souttar deal would make sense for the Blades

While it seems Sheffield United may still be considering a permanent move for the centre-back, there is a good chance that Leicester themselves will certainly be open to a deal.

Having joined the Foxes from Stoke City late in the 2023 January transfer window, Souttar never managed to establish himself at The King Power Stadium.

Prior to his temporary move to the Blades, the Australian international managed just 16 appearances in all competitions across a year-and-a-half with the Foxes.

That, combined with the fact that he was allowed to head out on loan to Sheffield United in the summer transfer window, does seem to indicate he will not be in Leicester's plans going forward.

Meanwhile, Steve Cooper currently has plenty of other options he can call on at centre-back, with Wout Faes, Conor Coady, Caleb Okoli and Jannik Vestergaard all contracted beyond this season.

As a result, they could most likely afford to let Souttar go without the risk of leaving themselves short in that position.

Indeed, the finances they could generate, from a transfer fee through his sale, and space created in the wage budget, could help with the purchase of a player who can play a bigger role for them.

So with the sale of Souttar looking appealing for Leicester, which could make him affordable, Sheffield United ought to be ready to take advantage.

While he hasn't got many chances to impress for the Foxes, he was previously impressive in the Championship for Stoke City.

That was enough to earn him the chance of a move to the Premier League with Leicester, and so the Blades should have confidence in the form he could produce for them.

Indeed, the early signs do already look to be promising for the Australian, who has featured in four of Sheffield United's five league games this season, starting the last three.

As well as producing some impressive performances, he has also helped Wilder's side to a strong start of three wins and two draws from those five league games.

Those at Bramall Lane can therefore be confident he would be a more than useful option for the club, if he was to be brought in on a permanent deal.

It is also worth noting that Alfie Gilchrist is only on loan from Chelsea, while Jack Robinson is out of contract in the summer, and Anel Ahmedhodzic's future is often the subject of much speculation.

Consequently, Sheffield United will surely need to reinforce the central defensive by next summer, and doing it with a proven option in Souttar, who already knows the club, could be a smart move.

Of course, amid his struggles with Leicester, the Australian himself could be open to a permanent move to Bramall Lane, where he looks much more likely to get regular football.

With all that in mind, it does seem that amid Wilder's latest hint about a permanent move to Sheffield United for Souttar, that is one deal that would surely work well for all involved.