Ruben Selles drops exciting Sheffield United transfer news | OneFootball

Ruben Selles is optimistic that Sheffield United will be able to strengthen their squad before the weekend.

Sheffield United head coach Ruben Selles has revealed that he is hopeful the club will be able to complete two signings before Saturday's game against Millwall.

After losing to Sunderland in last season's play-off final, Sheffield United made the bold decision to part company with popular manager Chris Wilder due to disagreements over the club's new data-driven recruitment model, but it has been a tough start to life at Bramall Lane for his successor Ruben Selles.

Selles has lost his first three games in charge of the Blades in all competitions, conceding seven goals and scoring just two in the process, and after the 1-0 defeat at Swansea City on Saturday, his side currently sit bottom of the early Championship table.

United have brought in five new signings this summer in Mihail Polendakov, Tyler Bindon, Djibril Soumare, Ehije Ukaki and Louie Barry, but they have also lost a number of key players, including Anel Ahmedhodzic, Vini Souza and Kieffer Moore, and Selles admitted last week that the club's recruitment process has "not been good enough".

However, it seems the Blades are now stepping up their attempts to strengthen their squad, and they are believed to be closing in on the signing of Malmo defender Nils Zatterstrom for a fee of €3.3m (£2.9 million) plus add-ons, while they have also reportedly agreed a loan deal for Atalanta's Ben Godfrey, who flew to the UK on Wednesday night to finalise the move.

It was claimed last week that United had made an £8 million bid for Coventry City's Bobby Thomas, while they have also been linked with ex-Brentford defender Ben Mee, and as FLW exclusively revealed this week, the South Yorkshire outfit are plotting a move for Millwall's Japhet Tanganga.

Ruben Selles issues positive Sheffield United transfer update

Selles cut a frustrated figure when discussing possible transfer business last week, but he was much more upbeat in his press conference on Thursday as he revealed that he expects Sheffield United to bring in two new defenders before Saturday's game against Millwall.

When asked if there was a chance of any new signings before this weekend's clash, Selles told BBC Radio Sheffield: "Yes, there is.

"As I said after the last game, we expect two players to be in and around for the weekend."

Selles was quizzed on the prospect of Godfrey arriving at Bramall Lane, and he appeared to confirm the Atalanta man was of interest to the Blades, stating: "Yes, I think Ben is a player that was on loan at Ipswich last year and has proven his ability in the Premier League.

"Obviously, a player as talented as him should always be linked with us."

When asked for an update on the club's pursuit of Zatterstrom, Selles replied: "I think that young, talented players across Europe are always on our radar.

"As I said, we need to find a balance, but if we get players with experience, we should always be able to get players who can have that next challenge for them and they can develop themselves with us."

Selles also revealed that Mee is currently training with the club after being released by Brentford earlier in the summer, and he said that talks will take place with the 35-year-old next week about whether he will be offered a contract.

"Ben has been training with us in the week, he was looking for a place to train," Selles explained.

"For us, he is an interesting player with a lot of experience in the Premier League.

"He is in this period where he has been training with us, and then next we will have conversations about what is going to be his future."

However, Selles was giving much less away on reports linking Tanganga with a move to United, with the Spaniard claiming that it would be unfair to discuss the former Tottenham Hotspur defender ahead of the meeting with his current club on Saturday.

"I think with names like Japhet or some other players that are playing in the Championship, especially the ones that are involved with Millwall, I would prefer to not make any comment because it is the sensible thing, especially for the weekend," Selles said.

"We are obviously playing in the same league and playing them in two days, so it's not going to be fair for him or his club or if any other name comes through in the Championship to speak about it for me."

"There is a chance for them to be involved at the weekend."

Selles has made no secret of the fact he has been unhappy with the lack of incomings at Sheffield United this summer, but it seems his public criticisms of the club's recruitment strategy have had the desired effect.

As Selles was willing to openly discuss Godfrey and Zatterstrom, it seems likely that those are the two deals the Blades will complete before the weekend, while Mee could follow next week if he impresses during his training period with the club.

However, Selles remained tight-lipped on the potential arrival of Tanganga, which suggests that the deal is not quite as advanced as the others, and in any case, Millwall would surely be unwilling to sanction the exit of their star defender in time for him to line up against them on Saturday.