Sheffield United news: Owls star eyed, Michael Cooper to Everton talk, Chris Wilder new job possibility | OneFootball

All the latest news surrounding Sheffield United

Sheffield United are preparing for another season in the Championship after narrowly missing out on promotion last year.

The Blades were in the mix for automatic promotion, but had to settle for a play-off place, and lost 2-1 to Sunderland in the final.

This led to the appointment of Ruben Selles, who is now overseeing pre-season ahead of another push for a top two finish in the second tier.

The Spaniard will be keen to make his mark on the squad before the campaign gets underway next month.

Here we look at all the latest news surrounding Sheffield United…

Djeidi Gassama transfer claim

The situation surrounding Sheffield United’s bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday has led to a lot of uncertainty surrounding their first team squad.

According to journalist Alan Biggs, this led to the Blades having an interest in Djeidi Gassama prior to Chris Wilder’s exit as manager earlier this summer.

Transfers between the two clubs are not common, but perhaps the red and white side of Sheffield would have pursued a move for the winger had Wilder remained in charge.

Owls supporters will be relieved that interest under Selles does not appear as strong, so they won’t have to fear a move for the 21-year-old to Bramall Lane for the time being.

Chris Wilder has Leicester talks

Wilder may already be on the cusp of his next managerial role following his exit from Sheffield United earlier this summer.

It has been reported by the BBC that the 57-year-old has been interviewed by Leicester City following their dismissal of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

It is believed that the position will be filled by either Wilder or Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl.

Other names linked to the role are Sean Dyche and Gary O’Neil, but it is thought that they are further down the priority list at the Foxes at this stage.

Michael Cooper stance amid Everton interest

It has been reported by Alan Nixon that Everton are eyeing a move for Michael Cooper this summer.

It has been claimed that the Toffees are willing to offer £5 million for the shot-stopper, as they look to bolster their options between the sticks.

However, it is understood that this figure is well below Sheffield United’s valuation of the 25-year-old, who made the switch to Bramall Lane last summer from Plymouth Argyle.

Cooper kept 21 clean sheets from 43 appearances in the regular season last year, conceding 33 goals.

Ruben Selles opens up on recruitment strategy

Selles has opened up on Sheffield United’s new recruitment strategy, claiming that he still has final say as the club looks to use data as a major part of their plans going forward.

He also clarified what the use of AI will mean for the club, but that he has a vision for what kind of player he wants to add to the team above all else.

“How we are working now, we create a recruitment process,” said Selles, via The Star.

“We have the data part of it with the analysis of what we wanted, but we have the final decision on the players that are coming.

“But that is only part of it.

“I think people get - I would not say confused - about the AI model.

“It's to be more effective in what you do.

“If you want to send a letter or something, you can tell ChatGPT what you like and it will give you a version which you can modify.

“We're talking about the same.

“As a club we have put together a vision of a certain type of player for every position, we have the requirements in terms of statistics and translated to football.

“So let's go and identify who are the best players for that model, and then let's see if that statistical element matches with the football vision, the video and the analysis and let's see what type of person we are bringing.

“And then let's make a decision.

“We will have some players we can identify from our side and we will check that against the personality we want to bring.

“It's not going to be check, check, check, go with the three and it's done.”