"I am confident" - Sheffield United: Chris Wilder transfer prediction made ahead of January window | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit has outlined his thoughts ahead of January's transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It's fair to say that Sheffield United's fortunes off the pitch have been mixed, to say the least, in recent years, with promotion to the Premier League last year then followed by a dismal top-flight campaign.

This coming January however presents an opportunity to strengthen their hand further in the race for automatic promotion.

Sheffield United are looking to put the disappointment of last season behind them, in order to rebuild, re-group, and to go again. In spite of the need to get the takeover situation resolved behind the scenes for the entirety of the summer, they are inside the top two in the Championship.

However, a takeover would lift the mood even further for Chris Wilder's side, and give them the necessary funds to solidify their position in the top two.

In spite of that, and despite a summer window that was initially set up to be one only consisting of free-agent acquisitions and loans, the Blades did end up spending a fair bit of money. However, further backing is now required.

In recent months, it has been suggested that the group, led by Steve Rosen, only needed to reach an agreement with the EFL over terms to complete the deal, with that not expected to be an issue.

Rosen has reportedly been in talks to buy the club for weeks now, according to Bloomberg. Other parties have been interested in the club over the last few months as well, though.

The latest is that the bid by COH Sports to complete their takeover is now in the final stages, according to Alan Nixon. The prospective American buyers of the Blades, who are being led by Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy, have recently received ratification from the EFL, which they had been struggling to get.

There has since been conflicting updates on this aspect - as per Alan Nixon's latest update, there is real hope that the deal can get done soon, with "haggling over extra and bonus payments" now reaching a stage where it is closed to being signed off on.

However, a fresh twist has emerged from The Guardian, claiming that Prince Abdullah is actually holding up the sale due to the fact that United are well primed to be promoted back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

The verdict on Sheffield United's January transfer window plans

You would imagine that the eight or nine clubs realistically capable of finishing inside the Championship's top six, and especially those targeting an automatic finish, such as the Blades, Leeds United, Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland, will be identifying the January transfer window as a strong opportunity to source additional players for the final push.

FLW's Blades fan pundit, Jimmy from the Blades Ramble YouTube channel was asked for his thoughts on the situation behind the scenes, and what he expects from the winter market.

"I think the only ongoing uncertainty has been about who is going to be owning us, going forwards.

"So that cloud of uncertainty hanging over us when going into January, as to who will be in charge at the top of the club, and and because of that, there is that uncertainty over the budget.

"However, carrying on as if this goes through, I am confident in the management, the owner, and the board, that they are all on the same page.

"Hopefully, Wilder is well aware of what is available to him, and plans will be well underway to strengthen the squad.

"I don't think we will make an awful lot of additions. It might just be a few loans this time unless the new ownership does come in and bolsters the transfer kitty.

"If they want to do that, I'm sure Chris Wilder will have some names to throw at them from his back pocket as well.

Sheffield United's promotion bid under Chris Wilder needs investment

The lack of funds meant they were restricted somewhat during the summer but they still made some very shrewd moves in the transfer market to strengthen their squad after being relegated from the Premier League. Sheffield United cannot afford to sit still in the winter, with many of the promotion contenders expected to strengthen.

Blades fans have experienced a number of false dawns in recent years. Now, they will just want this takeover saga to be over and for a new owner to be installed. They are expected to be there or thereabouts come the end of the campaign, but additional funds and ambition could go a long way.

They should be in the mix due to quality operators at their disposal who have been there and done it in the Championship, and the influence of Wilder as well. It is the job of their boss to live up to those expectations and deliver, but he also has a thin squad which could quickly fall apart through just a small handful of serious injuries as well.

Should it be delivered in the coming weeks, then there is every chance they will be even more competitive during the run-in and the second half of the campaign, in their assault of the top two places in the second tier.