"No brainer" - Sheffield United urged to complete £900k Rotherham United deal | 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 are heading back to the Championship next season, and with that will come a summer of change.

The Blades are guaranteed to come bottom of the Premier League table when the top flight play out their final round of matches next Sunday, and therefore, Chris Wilder and his recruitment team are already likely to have one eye on next season.

Whilst clubs who suffer relegation into the second tier are so often susceptible to an array of big-name departures, there is a multitude of current players who are facing up to a summer of uncertainty at Bramall Lane with their contracts set to end in just over a month's time.

The list includes Wes Foderingham and Jordan Amissah, both in the 'Goalkeepers Union'. With that being said, it's imperative that new blood is given to this department if the Blades are to challenge at the top end of the Championship next term.

Sheffield United urged to fend off competition in Viktor Johansson transfer saga

This is the viewpoint held by Football League World's Sheffield United fan pundit, Owain Wyse, who has urged his club to strike a deal with their South Yorkshire counterparts, Rotherham United, that would bring long-term target Viktor Johansson to the Steel City.

When asked about whether the Blades should look to do business on this front as soon as possible, Wyse stated: "Yes, Definitely!"

"I think Johansson's a no brainer. I really don't understand why we didn't go for him in January."

"(Ivo) Grbic has been dreadful since he joined, and I don't think we can trust him to improve enough to perform for us next year," he added.

"Wes (Foderingham) is back in the side now and doing well, but he's out of contract at the end of the season and I can't see him renewing again, so we're going to need another goalkeeper once again."

Wyse believes that whilst Rotherham have suffered relegation, the addition of the Millers' number one would be a savvy deal for all concerned.

"Getting such a good goalkeeper on the cheap - £900k is nothing in the grand scheme of things in football - I think it would be a brilliant piece of business and its a deal I certainly think we should be pursuing," our fan pundit continued.

"The move makes sense for the player as well. Johansson wouldn't have to relocate, and he gets back to playing in the Championship, which is the level I think that suits him at the moment."

Sheffield United facing competition for Rotherham keeper

As previously mentioned, its not just United who hold a vested interest in securing the shot-stopper's signature, with the likes of Derby County and Stoke City also said to be circling.

Transfer guru Alan Nixon has recently revealed via Patreon that the price that will lure the one-time Swedish international away from the New York Stadium is a £900,000 release clause that was inserted into his contract, which still has a year left to run.

Viktor Johansson's 2023/24 campaign showcases ability yet again

Unsurprisingly, given Rotherham's dismal campaign, Johansson shipped the most goals out of any second tier keeper - 85 in total - but this doesn't exactly tell the full story.

The long and short of it is that without his services, the Millers could've still accumulated way less than just 27 points across the season, with the Swede making 177 saves across the campaign, despite facing 261 shots on target in total in 45 appearances, as per Fbref.

Therefore, it was hardly a shock when the 25-year-old received the club's Player of the Season award for a second successive campaign, highlighting that his current ceiling is way higher than the bottom end of the second tier.

Given Sheffield United's own problems in this department across the season, they could do a lot worse when it comes to recruiting new blood.