Sheffield United confirm exit of Slavisa Jokanovic flop | OneFootball

Adlene Guedioura has had his contract terminated at Sheffield United after only making two Blades appearances this season, as announced by the club this morning.

The 36-year-old, who was signed by Slavisa Jokanovic as a free agent after he left Al-Gharafa in the summer, had not featured since the Blades’ Carabao Cup exit in late September and could begin winding down his career at this stage.

Guedioura has put together a rich and exciting career in English football, first signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2010 and going on to contribute for Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Watford.

The attack-minded midfielder was part of Algeria’s Africa Cup of Nations winning squad in 2019 and has amassed exactly 200 league appearances in the Premier League and Championship combined.

The Blades were able to pick up a comfortable 2-0 win at Peterborough United on Saturday to continue their positive momentum under Paul Heckingbottom.

The club were also able to bring in Adam Davies, Charlie Goode and Daniel Jebbison, recalled from Burton Albion, in the closing exchanges of the transfer window to keep supporters optimistic that they can overcome the current six point gap between themselves and the play-off places.

Guedioura will probably be forgotten about pretty quickly at Bramall Lane but that should not take away from the consistently strong performances he put in for other clubs, and the success he was able to carve out for himself after leaving Charleroi in 2010.

The Verdict

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The Blades will be happy to reduce their wage bill with Guedioura’s contract terminated by mutual consent.

Heckingbottom has an array of options in central midfield and with Conor Hourihane and Oliver Norwood’s partnership growing in recent weeks, it was very unlikely that the Algerian would have any part to play in the remainder of the campaign.

There has been an obvious push from upstairs for the Blades to hand opportunities to younger players and to try and grow from within this season.

Having a player of Guedioura’s profile in the squad did not reflect that and it came across like a signing that was completed to appease Slavisa Jokanovic’s frustrations in his time at the club.