Sheffield United Announce Signing of Nigerian Prospect Identified By New Scouting Model | OneFootball

Sheffield United have announced the signing of 20-year-old winger Ehije Success Ukaki from Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv for an undisclosed fee.

The move marks the second time in recent months that the Blades have recruited from Bulgaria’s top flight team Botev Plovdiv, following the January addition of winger Christian Nwachukwu from the same club. Ukaki has signed a contract at Bramall Lane running until the summer of 2028.

Nigerian-born Ukaki is a versatile right-sided player who has featured both as a winger and a right-back. Analysts from the GBE Expert Hub describe him as possessing “a dynamic physical profile with fantastic all-round mobility,” and praise his ability to receive and retain possession under pressure in a variety of situations, either when making runs with momentum or holding play up near the byline.

His agility and low centre of gravity allow him to exploit tight spaces, making him a useful option in transitional attacks. While Ukaki has primarily featured as an advanced wide player, there’s a growing belief among observers that his best long-term role could be as a right wing-back, particularly for teams operating with a back three, a setup Chris Wilder has frequently employed throughout his career.

Speaking on the signing, Wilder commented: “Ehije is a player who has been identified through our data driven strategy and is someone we’re looking forward to developing. He’s an emerging talent, still only 20, who has enjoyed some experience of European football early in his career, so there’s a base to work from.”

Ukaki featured in four European qualifiers for Botev Plovdiv last season, two in the Europa League and two more in the Europa Conference League, gaining valuable experience on the continental stage. Domestically, he racked up 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals and adding an assist.

According to the GBE Expert Hub, Ukaki currently profiles at a solid League One level but is tipped to grow into a mid-tier Championship player with continued development.

With United planning for the long term and looking to integrate hungry, high-upside prospects into the first team, Ukaki’s arrival fits into this new recruitment strategy. Using this new scouting model, the Blades have now identified three players since January: Christian Nwachukwu, Jefferson Caceres and Ehije Success Ukaki. All three of them share the same sort of profile: they’re 23 or under at the time of arrival, they’re from lesser leagues, and all of them have a quick burst of pace.

With the Sheffield United pre-season camp set to get under way in a few weeks time, it will be interesting to see how much, or if any, minutes this trio of players get.