Sheffield United: Potential Victor Osimhen deal in 2019 is one Chris Wilder may regret: View | OneFootball

Chris Wilder was reportedly suggested a number of names to sign by the board, including Victor Osimhen, who has since torn it up at Napoli.

Sheffield United are in the hunt once again for promotion to the Premier League.

The Blades have had a very up and down few years, as they have floated between the Premier League and the Championship. Chris Wilder is currently in his second spell as Sheffield United boss as he looks to guide the club back to the top flight.

During Wilder's first tenure in charge of the club, he became a modern-day club legend and gave the club plenty of success, so it made sense for him to make a return.

He first took over his boyhood club back in May 2016, with the club in League One, and at the first time of asking, he won the third tier title with the Blades to take them back into the Championship.

It did not take Wilder's Blades long at all to earn another promotion, this time to the Premier League, two years after their League One victory.

While they only spent two seasons in the Premier League that time around, Wilder's first ever season managing in the top flight took many by surprise as Sheffield United recorded a top-half finish.

They suffered relegation at the end of next season, with Wilder departing the club midway through the campaign, but his efforts to get them from League One to the Premier League will never be forgotten.

It was a stunning spell all-round, but Wilder may be left with some regrets, including not signing players that were suggested to him.

The Sheffield United board suggested Victor Osimhen to Chris Wilder

Back in 2021, Yorkshire Live published a report about an interview that Sky Sports conducted with former Blades owner, Prince Abdullah, in which he hit out at Chris Wilder's recruitment.

Wilder had just been relieved of his duties when this interview occured, and Prince Abdullah spoke out about the aspects of Wilder's recruitment that he did not like.

He claimed that recruitment should be a 'club-owned policy' and that players were suggested to the manager.

Yorkshire Live learned that one of those players was Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen, who, in hindsight would have been a ridiculously good signing, considering how well he has done in Serie A.

Thomas Soucek, Jonathan David, Leandro Trossard and Moises Caicedo were among the other players that were reportedly suggested to Chris Wilder.

Wilder must regret not considering Victor Osimhen

Presumably, Osimhen would have been suggested as a realistic target in 2019, after he had scored 12 goals while on loan in the Belgian top flight.

The striker signed permanently with Charleroi that summer, but Lille came in for him and off he went to Ligue 1. He grabbed double figures in the French top flight, and after just one season was purchased by Napoli for a whopping €70 million, plus €10 million in bonuses.

At this point, Wilder would surely have been wondering 'what if?' Osimhen became one of the best strikers in Europe, but Wilder decided to look elsewhere when the Nigerian's name was suggested.

In the summer of 2019, instead of considering Osimhen, Wilder signed strikers Lys Mousset and Oli McBurnie for a combined £30.