Takeover completion? Sheffield United must sort these 5 issues before August 30th | OneFootball

A vital summer period is in the offing at Bramall Lane, with a takeover and a new season back in the Championship to prepare for.

Sheffield United are going through a period of uncertainty, as the club remain hamstrung in the transfer window until a takeover is completed.

Blades boss Chris Wilder is having to wait for the takeover to be completed before being able to properly begin his summer of recruitment.

But the ambition of the club will be to secure Premier League promotion next season, as the club will not want to usher in a new era languishing in the Championship.

Therefore, a huge summer both on and off the pitch awaits at Bramall Lane, as Football League World takes a look at five of the most important things Sheffield United must resolve before the transfer window slams shut in August.

Of course, the most pressing situation to resolve at Sheffield United is the takeover situation.

So long as that goes unresolved, the club will continue to operate with their hands tied, both in terms of player recruitment, and indeed player retention.

The takeover must go through considerably in advance of the transfer window closing on 30 August, because if not, Blades will see multiple key first team players having no option but to depart the club on free transfers.

It will also mean the club will have to strictly resort to operating in the loan and free agent markets, and will only make the job that Wilder and his coaching team will have to do next season, even more difficult.

In any successful side, you need players who have been there and done it, and you need leaders to help unite the squad both on and off the pitch.

Blades need a squad of players who would all share their foxholes with any of their teammates, as 2024/25 could well be a testing season at Bramall Lane.

One player who epitomises that for Sheffield United is Irish international John Egan, a central defender who has led the Blades into battle valiantly during his six seasons at the club.

Losing the 31-year-old - whose contract expires at the end of June - would be a huge blow to not only the quality of Wilder's defence, but would leave a large void in the dressing room that the club may not be able to replace, both literally and figuratively.

Sort striking situation

If Blades do indeed harbour aspirations of an immediate return to Premier League football, then they are going to have to find a source of goals to fire them to promotion.

That is because the somewhat bizarre situation surrounding Aston Villa loanee from last season, Cameron Archer, saw the two clubs agree a buy-back clause should Blades suffer relegation from the top-flight, which of course they did.

So, with Archer no longer Blades' player once again, and with the Ben Brereton Diaz' loan deal having ended, and the club having to put contract talks on hold with Oli McBurnie and Daniel Jebbison until the takeover situation is resolved, Wilder's striking options are perilously thin.

Sign Harrison Burrows

Adventurous, attacking wing-backs are a staple of Wilder's 3-5-2 system, and there wasn't many better of those in the EFL last season than Peterborough United's Harrison Burrows.

The 22-year-old contributed an exceptional six goals and 14 assists for Posh in 2023/24, and as such has caught the eye of the Blades this summer.

Burrows is now entering the final year of his contract with Peterborough, and the League One club could look to cash in on their prized asset this summer, rather than risk losing him for free next year.

Find a new goalkeeper

All the signs are pointing in the direction of Sheffield United having a total reset in their goalkeeping department this summer.

Wes Foderingham has already left the club following the expiration of his contract, whilst Welsh international Adam Davies is also coming to the end of his contract at Bramall Lane this month, with Charlton showing interest in snapping him up.

Croatian keeper Ivo Grbic has also been told that he can find a new club this summer, just a year after arriving from Atletico Madrid.

If all three do indeed depart the club, Blades will be left with just 22-year-old Jordan Amissah as their only senior goalkeeper, but he has only ever made one appearance for the club.

Therefore, Wilder looks destined to be searching for a new number one goalkeeper this summer, and it should be right at the top of Blades' transfer priority list.