Big double Sheffield United update suggests key change is coming to Bramall Lane | OneFootball

The imminent sacking of manager Chris Wilder and recent recruitment developments suggest a change of strategy from Sheffield United's new owners.

Sheffield United are reportedly set to sack manager Chris Wilder after missing out on promotion to the Premier League.

That's according to The Telegraph, who claim that Wilder's future at Sheffield United is in serious doubt, and his dismissal could be confirmed by owners Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy.

Wilder returned for a second spell in charge at Bramall Lane in December 2023 when he replaced Paul Heckingbottom, but he was unable to keep the Blades in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season as they were relegated with a dismal total of just 16 points.

After a big summer rebuild, United spent much of last season at the top end of the Championship table, and they looked to be in pole position to achieve automatic promotion, but a run of three consecutive defeats in early April against Oxford United, Millwall and Plymouth Argyle dealt a huge blow to their top two hopes, with Wilder's men eventually finishing in third place.

The Blades looked to be back on track after a record-breaking 6-0 aggregate victory over Bristol City in their play-off semi-final, but they suffered heartbreak as they were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland in the final at Wembley, despite leading 1-0 and seemingly being in full control of the game with just 15 minutes remaining.

Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy facing big Sheffield United questions amid Chris Wilder sack talk

The late-season collapse that saw Sheffield United miss out on automatic promotion was alarming, as was the way they crumbled in the closing stages of the play-off final against Sunderland, and while it would be incredibly harsh given that he delivered a 90-point season, which would have been 92 if not for a two-point deduction, there would be some logic behind the decision to sack Wilder.

In addition to the poor results towards the end of the season, Wilder's relationship with the Blades fan base became strained after he described the reaction of some supporters to the defeat at Oxford in April as an "absolute disgrace" and a "joke", while he also came in for criticism for his post-match confrontation with Plymouth Argyle players after the loss at Home Park just a week later.

However, it seems that Wilder's imminent dismissal is not purely based on results or his off-field antics, with the Independent claiming that "differences have arisen over discussions for recruitment", as well as "other issues" between the 57-year-old and the board contributing to his expected exit.

United have been implementing a data-led approach to recruitment with the use of AI in recent months, and after the signings of Jefferson Cacares and Christian Nwachukwu in January, they completed another addition using that method earlier this week in Botev Plovdiv winger Ehije Ukaki.

Wilder is a manager who is known to be keen to have control over football matters, and he came under fire during his time at Middlesbrough for appearing to be publicly dismissive of signings made by the club's head of football Kieran Scott, while he also clashed with former Blades owner Prince Abdullah over transfers before his previous departure from Bramall Lane in March 2021.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that Wilder is not particularly fond of the club's new recruitment strategy, but given that Rosen and Eltoukhy have made no secret of their desire to adopt this approach, you do have to question why they handed Wilder a new long-term contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2028 as recently as January if there were disagreements over the way forward.

Only this week, Wilder was allowed to comment on the signing of Ukaki, describing him as an "emerging talent" and "someone we're looking forward to developing", so the sudden U-turn on his future does raise a few question marks, and Rosen and Eltoukhy must get the next appointment right.

Sheffield United will hope to emulate Brighton and Brentford with fresh recruitment model

In an open letter to supporters shortly after the play-off final defeat, Rosen and Eltoukhy reiterated their commitment to bringing "consistent top-flight football" back to Sheffield United, and, in words that now look much more pointed, they claimed they were "working tirelessly to become stronger in the crucial area of recruitment".

Rosen and Eltoukhy said that they were looking to use "data and analytics far more effectively to recruit the best and brightest talent", and, in hindsight, that could be seen as a dig at Wilder's January transfer business, which did not have the desired impact on the club's promotion push.

The Blades completed the signing of Leicester City striker Tom Cannon for a fee of around £10 million in January, but he scored just one goal in 17 appearances in the second half of the season, while another of the club's marquee additions, Ben Brereton Diaz, only scored four times in 17 games, and Crystal Palace loanee Rob Holding did not feature as regularly as many expected.

Of course, there are big risks to using a data-based model, and there is no guarantee that Cacares, Nwachukwu and Ukaki will be able to adapt to the Championship, but it is a policy that has worked incredibly well for the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, who have firmly established themselves in the Premier League in recent years.

Brighton and Brentford are widely viewed as two of the best run clubs in English football, and they have earned plenty of praise for their forward-thinking approach to recruitment, so it is easy to see why Rosen and Eltoukhy are keen to go down a similar route.

However, they must still be open to bringing in some more experienced and proven Championship performers, particularly as those are the type of players who have helped to bring so much success to Bramall Lane over the past decade.

By parting company with Wilder, Rosen and Eltoukhy are doubling down on their data-driven recruitment model, but dispensing with the services of a popular manager who came so close to leading the club to promotion last season is a huge gamble, and the pair will be under serious scrutiny if the Blades make a poor start to next season.