Why Sheffield United will never regret Brentford transfer - £4m fee was an utter masterstroke | OneFootball

John Egan was a club record signing from Brentford when Sheffield United paid £4 million to bring him to Bramall Lane

John Egan was a club-record signing when he joined Sheffield United from Brentford in the summer of 2018, and it’s a deal the club will have no regrets about all these years later.

It was reported by Sky Sports that summer that the Blades agreed a deal with the London outfit for the defender that was worth £4 million.

Egan spent two seasons with the Bees, and was a key part of the side as they fought for a play-off place, making 67 league appearances as they finished 10th and ninth in the Championship table.

Chris Wilder’s side had finished one place behind Brentford in the 2017/18 campaign, with the two sides both earning 69 points, missing out on a top six finish by six points.

Sheffield United were hoping that Egan could help bridge that gap to the play-offs, as they sought a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2007.

John Egan’s impact at Sheffield United

Egan had initially spent time on loan at Bramall Lane during the 2011/12 campaign, but made just one appearance in League One and made no impact whatsoever.

But his second stint with the Blades was much, much more effective, with the club earning promotion to the Premier League in 2019.

The centre-back formed part of a back-three, striking a strong partnership with Chris Basham and Jack O’Connell.

Egan featured 44 times, as Wilder’s side jumped up to second in the table, returning to the Premier League for the first time in 12 years.

The defender remained a crucial part of the side in the top flight, starting 36 of their 38 league fixtures as they recorded an impressive ninth-place finish.

Egan even scored twice, with Sheffield United in the mix for European qualification before the pandemic caused a pause in the league that led to a drop-off in form upon the resumption of the season.

While Wilder’s side were unable to maintain their impressive form into the next campaign, ultimately suffering relegation after the manager’s dismissal, Egan remained a core part of the squad.

The Irish international proved well worth the £4 million paid to sign him, making a total of 208 league appearances after his move from Brentford.

He also played a crucial role in a second Premier League promotion, this time under Paul Heckingbottom, in the 2022/23 campaign before leaving the club in 2024.

Sheffield United’s less impressive record signing

Sheffield United paid a club-record fee in 2018 to sign Egan, and it’s fair to say the centre-back fared a lot better than some of their other big-name signings in the years since.

Rhian Brewster now holds the record for the biggest fee paid by the Yorkshire outfit to sign a player, arriving for a reported £23.5 million in the 2020 summer transfer window.

The forward simply hasn’t lived up to the same standard that Egan set as a signing.

In his first five seasons with the Blades, the striker has managed just eight league goals, and he has never been able to cement himself as a regular starter in the team.