Football League World
·8 August 2024
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·8 August 2024
The Blades have edged in front in the race for free agent Campbell's signature
Free agent striker Tyrese Campbell is currently undergoing a medical at Sheffield United ahead of a potential move to Bramall Lane.
That is according to The Star, who report that the 24-year-old has visited the Blades' training ground this week, and is set to become Chris Wilder's eighth summer signing following his departure from Stoke City at the end of last season.
Transfer journalist Alan Nixon previously revealed that the Blades were edging in front of the competition for the 24-year-old's signature, and hoped that their contract offer could see off Swansea City and former club Stoke in the chase for his services, and it looks as if Wilder has won the race for his signature.
According to Nixon, there has been an existing offer on the table for some time from the Potters, despite Campbell leaving at the end of his contract in July.
He spent eight years with Stoke after joining in 2016 from Manchester City, and made over 160 appearances for the club after debuting in the Premier League in 2018.
Campbell saw his influence wane amid injury issues under Steven Schumacher in 2023/24, leading to an exit at the end of the season, and now he could be lining up in red and white for a different Championship side in the coming months.
Campbell has been courted by numerous clubs in England and abroad this summer as he assesses his next move, amid a sad time in which he lost his footballing father, Kevin, in June.
Previous to his Stoke release, the 24-year-old was once linked with potential moves to Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers, and it seems as if the latter are once again interested in acquiring his services this summer.
Transfer journalist Darren Witcoop recently reported that the Gers are interested in signing him this summer as Phillippe Clement looks to add firepower to his attacking ranks, and that Swansea, West Brom and Cardiff City had all reportedly held talks with him over a possible move.
With that said, it seems as if Sheffield United have now stolen a march on their Championship competitors, and the offer of challenging for promotion to the Premier League under Chris Wilder, as well as linking up with former Potters teammate and close friend Harry Souttar, looks to be too good to turn down for the ex-England youth international.
Sheffield United endured a torrid time in the Premier League last season as they were relegated in 20th place, and boss Wilder has been tasked with rebuilding his squad to challenge for an immediate bounce-back to the top-flight this season.
He has overseen a mass exodus from Bramall Lane this summer, not least in the attack, with Cameron Archer and Will Osula sealing big-money moves to Aston Villa and Newcastle United respectively, Benie Traore leaving for Basel, and Oli McBurnie and Dan Jebbison both departing the club upon the expiry of their contracts.
The arrival of Kieffer Moore from Bournemouth has added some much-needed expertise to Wilder's forward line, but the Blades' head-coach is certainly in need of some added depth with just Moore and Rhian Brewster as his senior striking options, and Campbell seems like a perfect fit for the role he will be offering.
The 24-year-old is proven at Championship level, despite his relatively average goal-scoring record with Stoke, and he has previously shown glimpses of talent that can be hard to come by in the second-tier, especially in the free-agent centre-forward market.
If Wilder can get Campbell back to the sort of form that saw him register six goals and seven assists in 16 Championship games in 2020/21, before he suffered a nasty knee injury that kept him sidelined for close to a year, he will have picked up one of the bargains of the summer, and a striker that could be key to their promotion chances in 2024/25.
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