Sheffield United Linked With Colombian-capped Midfielder Who Knows Ruben Selles’ Style of Play | OneFootball

Sheffield United could bring in former Premier League midfielder Steven Alzate this summer, with the Colombian international having just 12-months left on his current deal at Hull City.

However, according to the report from The Mirror, La Liga outfit Valencia, managed by former West Bromwich Albion coach Carlos Corberan, are also extremely keen on signing Alzate.

The Blades were reportedly interested in Alzate last summer before he eventually penned a move to Hull.

Of course, the 26-year-old featured for the Tigers last season under Sheffield United’s new boss Ruben Selles, so working with a coach he knows as well as the potential of playing Premier League football could be a big selling point for the well-rounded midfielder.

What Can Sheffield United Expect from Steven Alzate if Signed From Hull City?

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 24: Steven Alzate of Hull City is challenged by Ben Brereton Diaz (R) and Andre Brooks (L) during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Hull City AFC at on January 24, 2025 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images).

Alzate made 28 Championship appearances last term and registered just one goal contribution (one assist), and whilst that may not look appealing, he does a very good job in midfield in various areas.

Alzate operates best as a composed passer and dribbler under pressure. At Hull, he consistently posted a high passing accuracy of 84% and ranked in the 98th percentile for successful take-on success rate per 90. This gives him a perfect blend of skills to be what I like to call a ‘dual-threat deep-lying playmaker’. Essentially what this means is that they can beat a press by dribbling the ball and also by passing the ball, something that’s becoming more and more important in modern Championship football as opposed to an Oliver Norwood type of deep-lying playmaker.

His expected assists numbers of 0.04 per 90 places him in the bottom quarter for Championship midfielders, indicating he isn’t a creative outlet in the final third, which may not be what fans want to hear after the lack of creativity and goals from Vinicius Souza and Sydie Peck last term.

One aspect where Alzate does thrive however is in defensive actions. He ranked in the 95th percentile for tackles per 90 last season, and ranked impressively in the 98th percentile for dribblers tackled success rate. Lastly, while Alzate registered poor shot-creating actions numbers for a Championship midfielder (1.95 = 32nd percentile), he ranked in the 91st percentile for shot-creating actions via a defensive action. Given that Selles’ system is all about applying a high press and forcing mistakes directly from his team’s own turnover, this is a great indication that he’s a good fit for the Spaniard’s system.

Versatility is Key

It’s always great to have versatile players in your 25-man squad. Sometimes a player can be versatile and play a couple of different positions, such as Hamza Choudhury last season for example; he played as an anchor man in midfield but also as a more defensive option at right-back.

Then you have the versatile midfielders who can play at multiple levels in the centre of the pitch, and that’s exactly what Alzate is.

The Colombian-capped midfielder could feature as a solo anchor man in a midfield three, allowing more attack-minded midfielders to play either side of him and express themselves more.

He could feature in a double pivot alongside Vinicius Souza. On paper, this wouldn’t look like a progressive duo, but I think with the composure and technical ability of both, it would work. Additionally, Alzate would provide very good cover for Vinicius Souza, and partnering up with the likes of Oliver Arblaster, Tom Davies or Sydie Peck would be an even better fit.

The worst case scenario this summer would be that Souza gets sold in late July or August, as I believe that would significantly weaken the spine of the Blades far more than selling Peck for example. But, if you bring in a profile like Alzate on a very cheap deal, you’ll have a ready-made replacement in terms of physicality and style if the Brazilian did leave later in the window.

Alzate to Blades: Cheap & Cheerful

While it’s not a glamorous signing and one that would generate headlines, if the Blades were to sign Steven Alzate it’d be smart business because they’d be improving their midfield depth with someone that actually has technical ability, versatility and most importantly he has proven to be available, which the same cannot unfortunately be said for the Tom Davies and Jamie Shackleton.

With rumours that Peck may be the one that gets sold this summer to bring in funds and keep other key players like Souza and Gustavo Hamer at the club, a midfield depth of: Vinicius Souza, Oliver Arblaster, Tom Davies, Steven Alzate and Jamie Shackleton would provide a good blend of variance, and more specifically, the first four all have the technical skills to feature in a Premier League matchday squad.

However, with the poor injury records of Davies and Shackleton would likely mean the Blades need to bring in at least one more body in this department just in case. This is where exploring a permanent deal for Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury could be another piece of smart business done by the Blades this summer. The Bangladeshi midfielder is a good ball-winning midfielder at Championship level, and many thought he was excellent at right-back during the times where the more attacking right-back Femi Seriki was out injured.

All stats taken from FBref.