Sheffield United told to consider Cyrus Christie signing | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit has identified which free agent signing the club should consider

Sheffield United’s summer transfer business has come to a close following the end of the window in August.

The Blades will be hoping that the squad they have built will be capable of fighting for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

A number of additions have been made, including the likes of Harrison Burrows, Michael Cooper and Callum O’Hare all coming into Chris Wilder’s squad.

But the free agents market is still open, meaning players without a club can be registered.

There are still a number of high profile names without a team that could be an option for Sheffield United.

Sheffield United told to eye Cyrus Christie signing

When asked which free agent the club should sign, FLW’s Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy Ramble, from Blades Ramble, recommended the addition of Cyrus Christie.

He believes that strengthening the team’s defensive options would be the best use of the free agent market, despite also needing to add forward options to the squad.

“It’s a tricky one this because I don’t think there’s many quality options around, so when you take the element it’s unlikely that we’ll get someone that goes straight into the starting lineup from the free transfer pool, or it’s unlikely that we’ll outlay the money,” Jimmy told Football League World.

“So if I’m talking about a realistic signing, this has come out of left-field a bit but I’d go for somebody like Cyrus Christie as a back-up right-back.

“Because we’ve got Alfie Gilchrist on loan there currently, who will start the majority of games.

“Underneath Alfie we’re quite light, we’ve got Jamie Shackleton, who is not necessarily an orthodox right-back.

“We’ve also got youth prospects like Femi Seriki and Sai Sachdev, but also we sold Auston Trusty on the last day of the window and that has left us slightly light at centre-back.

“Alfie Gilchrist can also play at centre-back, so by bringing Cyrus Christie in it gives you the option to bring Christie into the 11 when needed, if one of the centre-halves goes down, and Alfie can shift across and go into the centre of defence.

“So I think just in terms of practicalities, there’s still positions that we need to strengthen.

“We need a striker, we need a left-winger, but I think just to make sure we are absolutely covered in defence, I think a right-back would be the one that I want, because I think creatively going forward we’re strong.”

Cyrus Christie latest

According to Football Insider, Coventry City and Rangers are both keeping tabs on the situation surrounding Christie.

The full-back is currently without a club following his exit from Hull City.

The 31-year-old made 27 appearances in the Championship last season for the Tigers, including 12 starts (all stats from Fbref).

But it remains to be seen what the next step in his career will be, with no concrete offers currently on the table.

Cyrus Christie could help shore up Sheffield United’s defensive depth

Relying on the free agents market to sign a first team starter at this stage is unlikely for a club like Sheffield United.

But adding someone like Christie that can help add some defensive depth could go a long way to helping out Wilder’s squad.

The full-back is experienced at a Championship level, and can provide cover for rotation or in the event of injuries.

Christie is also unlikely to demand wages that are too high, so this could be a solid solution for the rest of the campaign at a reasonable price.