Sheffield United will never beat £25k deal that secured 121-goal striker: View | OneFootball

One of Sheffield United's best ever signings cost just £25,000

Sheffield United completed a bargain signing when Brian Deane first joined the club for £25,000 in 1988 from Doncaster Rovers.

According to The Athletic, the forward cost just a five-figure fee, which, even for the time, proved a very shrewd signing for the Blades.

Deane signed for Sheffield United at the age of 20, with the team competing in the third tier of English football.

Back-to-back promotions in ‘89 and ‘90 saw the club rise up to the First Division, with Deane even being the club’s top scorer in the Second Division with 24 in just his second campaign at Bramall Lane.

Deane further added to his legend by scoring the first ever goal of the Premier League era, bagging a brace in a 2-1 win over eventual title winners Manchester United.

He scored a total of 121 goals for Sheffield United across three stints, making returns to the club in 1997 and 2005, before retiring in 2006.

Brian Deane proved a bargain at £25,000

Considering the £25,000 paid to sign Deane back in 1988, nobody could’ve expected the impressive impact he made on the club.

The striker spent five years with the Blades, playing a crucial role in their participation in the first ever Premier League season.

Deane registered an excellent tally of 15 goals and 10 assists in the 1992/93 campaign, with the club coming 14th in the table, scoring 19 in all competitions.

The now 56-year-old was the club’s top scorer four years in a row, with 24, 17, 16 and 19 to his name respectively.

This led to a move to Leeds United in 1993, where he spent another four years, before returning for a season in 1997.

Deane scored another 13 to help the Blades team reach the play-offs in the second tier with a sixth place finish in the table, although promotion couldn’t be secured.

Finally, the forward returned in 2005 to close out his career, with Neil Warnock’s side gaining promotion back to the Premier League after a 12-year absence, although Deane was only capable of making a couple of appearances in the side at that stage.

Brian Deane is a Sheffield United club legend

Sheffield United have had their fair share of impressive goalscorers, and Deane’s name deserves to be amongst them.

Billy Sharp (pictured above) captured a lot of attention for his consistency in front of goal for the Blades in modern times, but only Deane can really match him when looking at the last 30 years or so.

Sharp similarly enjoyed multiple stints at Bramall Lane, and even scored for the club in all four of the top divisions, one greater than Deane.

Deane was crucial to their back-to-back promotions at the turn of the decade in 1990, much like Sharp was the key man to the club’s return to the Premier League under Chris Wilder in 2019.