Sheffield United official confirm club rejected bid for key midfielder on deadline day | OneFootball

According to Asistanaliz, Sheffield United official Selahattin Baki, the club’s international football co-ordinator, has claimed to the Turkish media that the Blades received an offer for one of their star players on deadline day.

The report states that Baki told media that Fenerbahce made an approach for Brazilian midfielder Vinicius Souza but the Blades swiftly rejected the offer.

“Fenerbahce made an official offer for Vinicius Souza on the transfer deadline day (in the UK), but we did not accept it,” said the Blades official.

One of the most reputable journalists in Turkey, Yagiz Sabuncuoglu has also backed up these claims when he reported that Fenerbahce were hoping to use some of their money from the sale of Ferdi Kadioglu to Brighton to try and sign Souza from United.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 01: Vinicius Souza of Sheffield United gestures during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Watford FC at Bramall Lane on September 01, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Vinicius Souza has proven to be a significant part of the Sheffield United team in the Championship

Vinicius Souza has changed people’s perspective of him with how he has started the Championship season, and he’s proving to be one of the most significant players in the team, sitting alongside Oli Arblaster in a double pivot.

While the 25-year-old isn’t much of a creative spark, averaging 0.5 key passes per game, he excels in keeping the ball moving and breaking down opposition moves. The powerful midfielder is averaging nine duels won per game in the league, with a further five successful tackles and two interceptions.

Having Souza pairing up with Arblaster in midfield gives a bit more defensive stability and power to the spine of the team. And given Souza’s natural defensive mindset, this allows Arblaster to play a freer role meaning he can get forward around the edge of the box. This has already paid dividends this season as Arblaster has scored twice from the edge of the box, and he has also won a penalty which was ultimately missed against Watford.

Because Souza and Arblaster are in a midfield duo, Gustavo Hamer has been forced to play in an unnatural position on the left as an inverted left winger. While this role is unconventional for the Dutch-Brazilian playmaker, he has still managed to register two goals and one assist.

PRESTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Gustavo Hamer of Sheffield United celebrates with Vinicius Souza and Callum O’Hare after scoring their second goal during the Sky Bet Championship.

Turkish club could come back in for Blades midfielder in the coming days

There are a few days left in the Turkish transfer window so there could be a second offer tabled for Souza, however, you would have to think it would need to be an incredible offer for United to accept given the circumstances: they can only replace him with free agents, they are already light in central midfield, and they don’t have another powerful defensive minded midfielder in the squad apart from Souza.