Opinion: Sheffield United shouldn’t stand in Aston Villa’s way as interest emerges in 32-y/o | OneFootball

Following a dismal campaign which culminated in relegation to the Championship last year, it was always going to be intriguing to see how Sheffield United would fare at this level during the current term.

In the previous transfer window, Slavisa Jokanovic decided to stamp his own authority on the club’s squad by securing the services of some fresh faces.

Whereas the Serbian’s decision to sign Morgan Gibbs-White turned out to be somewhat of a masterstroke, the same cannot be said for Robin Olsen.

The Sweden international was drafted in as Aaron Ramsdale’s successor.

Having featured on seven occasions in the Premier League for Everton during his loan spell at Goodison Park last season, Olsen would have been confident in his ability to deliver the goods in a lower division for the Blades.

However, when he has been fit enough to feature, the goalkeeper has struggled for consistency in the Championship.

Whilst it is important to note that the Blades were far from convincing in a defensive sense during Jokanovic’s brief stint in charge of the club, Olsen has only managed to keep one clean-sheet in 11 league appearances this season which is an incredibly underwhelming return.

Currently being forced to watch on from the sidelines due to an injury that he sustained whilst on international duty, Olsen may struggle to reclaim a place in the club’s starting eleven due to the presence of Wes Foderingham.

In the last five league appearances that Foderingham has made for the Blades, the keeper has managed to prevent his opponents from scoring in four of these fixtures.

When you consider that Foderingham is clearly capable of thriving at this level, United must not stand in Aston Villa’s way if they opt to make a move for Olsen this month.

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Villa have turned their attention to sealing a move for Olsen after failing to convince West Ham United to part ways with Darren Randolph.

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Although the Blades do still have an option to purchase Olsen from AS Roma, they may not necessarily miss the 32-year-old if he ends up joining Steven Gerrard’s side on a permanent basis instead.

Whereas Foderingham is currently averaging a relatively impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.93 in the second-tier, Olsen has been unable to match this statistic as he is averaging a disappointing rating of 6.18.

Given that Jake Eastwood has been included as part of the club’s match-day squad during his team-mate’s absence, Olsen’s departure could provide the 25-year-old with the opportunity to prove his worth if Foderingham picks up an injury or a suspension.

However, in order to prevent the possibility of crisis in this particular position, it could be argued that current Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom should draft up a list of replacements for Olsen before allowing him to seal a switch to Villa.