Sheffield United urged to eye Tom Cairney or Matt Grimes amid Ollie Arblaster blow | OneFootball

The young midfielder is out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury and the Blades may use the market in January to look for a new star.

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...

Sheffield United's early grip on the top two slipped this weekend, after they were held by Coventry City at the CBS Arena in an entertaining game between the two sides.

Tyrese Campbell had handed the Blades the lead against the run of play in the first half, with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi scoring his team's second following Norman Bassette's equaliser. Anel Ahmedhodzic's red card on the stroke of half-time proved critical to his side's hold on the game, with Bobby Thomas securing the home team a point in the 80th minute.

Coupled with Leeds United's dramatic win at Swansea City, it proved to be a tough weekend for Chris Wilder's side, who returned from the international break without Oliver Arblaster. Their captain suffered an ACL injury against Sheffield Wednesday two weeks ago, and is likely to be out for the remainder of the season.

It's an extremely tough blow to take for Sheffield United, and with the January transfer window coming up in just over a month, there could be a lot of action at Bramall Lane if they seek to find a replacement for the 20-year-old.

Sheffield United could do with replacing Arblaster

While Sydie Peck has shown this season that he has the talent to be a key player in the coming seasons for the Blades, he still lacks the consistency that is needed to ensure that his team's midfield is as strong as possible.

Losing their captain is a huge frustration, not only for supporters, but also for Wilder, and he will have to work out a plan over the course of the next five weeks before the window opens.

Football League World's Sheffield United Fan Pundit, Jimmy from Blades Ramble, was asked just how much of a loss Arblaster is going to be, and who he should be replaced by going forward.

He told FLW: "Losing Oliver Arblaster is a huge blow. I don't think people outside of Sheffield United actually recognise how influential he is.

"He's our captain, he dictates and orchestrates the play when we're in transition. He takes the ball on the half turn and really gets us going. It's a huge blow for us.

"Sydie Peck will no doubt come in and do a very good job like he's done for the majority of the season when either Vini Souza or Arblaster wasn't available. So, we have got an able deputy there if you like.

"The only thing is, I'm not sure we'll get the levels of consistency out of Peck that we would out of Arblaster. To be fair, both have put in performances that have not been great this season at times."

Jimmy continued: "So, I would like us to strengthen. It's coincided with Tom Davies coming back to fitness, which is a huge boost, but keeping him fit will also be a challenge, he's been out for so long.

"So, while I think we've got a nice blend of players there in midfield, with Souza and Peck and Davies as back up or challenging for a place in that. Too. I would like us to strengthen, and I think some names that we've been talking about on the Ramble include Tom Cairney on loan from Fulham, potentially as a short-term solution. I really like that as an option.

"If we're going to dip into the transfer market and maybe sign someone permanently, Matt Grimes, I think, is a great midfielder at this level. To get out of this division, you need players that know the level that have done the business at this level before, and I think he's one of the closest things to Arblaster in the division, to be honest.

"So yeah, either one of those, Tom Cairney or Matt Grimes, would be high up on my list in January now to go and solve the problem."

Cairney could be the perfect option for Sheffield United

While young stars have impressed at Bramall Lane so far this season, bringing in solid experience in midfield could be the perfect way for Sheffield United to secure promotion back to the Premier League.

Cairney could be the perfect player to allow that to happen, with the 33-year-old now a regular on the bench for Fulham.

In the past, the Cottagers' club captain has been the most important member of the squad, but this has changed quickly. He now finds minutes difficult to come by, and a loan move in the January window may be sought by both himself and his manager, Marco Silva.

Cairney would excel at Sheffield United, and a short-term loan until the end of 2024/25 would be the perfect way to fill the void left by Arblaster's injury. His age means that a permanent deal must be avoided, but he has all the knowledge of promotion needed to help take the Blades back to the top flight at the first time of asking.