Sheffield United summer transfer revelation emerges on eight-cap international after signing for Championship rivals | OneFootball

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Football League World

·6 December 2022

Sheffield United summer transfer revelation emerges on eight-cap international after signing for Championship rivals

Article image:Sheffield United summer transfer revelation emerges on eight-cap international after signing for Championship rivals

Ismael Kone travelled to his local airport in “anticipation” of making the move to Sheffield United on transfer deadline day in the summer, according to a report from The Star.

The 20-year-old had been linked with a move to Bramall Lane as a potential replacement for Sander Berge, who was linked with an exit from the South Yorkshire outfit once again during the previous window.


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Club Brugge and Chelsea had made approaches to try and lure the Norway international away from the Blades after seeing him impress during the second half of last season – but those attempts were rejected with the 24-year-old staying put at his current side.

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Article image:Sheffield United summer transfer revelation emerges on eight-cap international after signing for Championship rivals

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However, it was reported at the start of September that a deal for Kone had been agreed to take him to Paul Heckingbottom’s side after his move to Norwich City collapsed earlier in the summer.

Being approved for a work permit, all the hurdles seemed to be removed for the midfielder to go ahead and finalise this deal with the Blades, but the deal was never completed in the end with the Canada international remaining in Montreal.

He has since sealed a move to Watford though, with his arrival at Vicarage Road (for a fee believed to be in the region of €8m-€10m) being confirmed yesterday.

He could have been an excellent addition in the middle of the park as someone who could have been at Bramall Lane for the long term.

At 20, the kind of fee the Hornets had to fork out for him was steep but there’s every chance they will make a profit on him in the future and that would have been good for the Blades considering there’s a chance they will lose Berge and Iliman Ndiaye for free in 2024.

But looking at the fee, you feel he would have only come in if Berge had left and even then, it remains to be seen whether they would have been prepared to pay as much as €10m to secure his services with the club still yet to win promotion back to the Premier League.

You have to wonder how much game time he would have got though – because Tommy Doyle arrived at the club earlier on in the summer on a loan deal, John Fleck and Berge may have stayed fit and Oliver Norwood is also an important first-teamer.

Kone would have wanted to be a regular starter at Bramall Lane considering his potential – and Heckingbottom may not have been able to guarantee him that much football.

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