Sheffield United: US-based consortium revealed as decision makers behind first-team player exit | OneFootball

The US-based consortium that are attempting to purchase Sheffield United influenced the club's decision to pull the option in Ben Osborn's contract, thus releasing him.

There are still plenty of hurdles to get over before a deal that would see the ownership of the Blades change hands is done. The identity of the group, who are reported to be from Silicon Valley, California - an area of America that is renowned for its technological innovation - isn't known, nor is the potential value of any bid.

Another potential spanner in the works is that current owner Prince Abdullah is looking at retaining a small level of ownership in the club as part of a deal, making him and the consortium into partners, rather than a straight sale to the investors, which is an idea he has talked about in the past.

United fans will be hoping that, if the sale goes through, it happens before the end of the summer transfer window so there is a bit more money for the club to spend on new players.

Chris Wilder has described the next couple of months as the most important in recent times, according to the Sheffield Star, and the vision for what they want to do has started to be laid out.

Senior players have been released and there are plans to try and move on contracted members of the squad too. The prospective new owners could make Wilder's job much easier, if they get in on time, but they seem to already have some influence over the club's policies.

US-consortium decided to release Ben Osborn from Sheffield United

The Star have reported that the American group have already started to put their fingerprints onto the club by influencing the Blades' choice to withdraw the option in Osborn's contract, which has therefore led to his release.

Derby County had been linked with the versatile wing-back/midfielder, and the line from the club is that they are still in talks with him, but the local outlet believe that to not be the case, and that the prospective owners had a say in that decision.

Much of the focus of the summer will be on getting rid of unwanted or disposable players. Anel Ahmedhodzic, Vini Souza, Anis Slimane and Benie Traore were all reported to be available for transfer by Alan Nixon, in an attempt to generate some funds. January signing Ivo Grbic has also been transfer listed, as per The Star.

Incomings, as things stand, are likely to be limited to just free agent and loan signings, with the potential for some transfers but the fees would have to be minimal.

One player that has been vaguely linked with the Blades, who could be a potential replacement for Osborn, is Peterborough United's Harrison Burrows. There are doubts over whether the Yorkshire club would be able to get a deal for the 22-year-old done because of their lack of funds and the price that the Posh would want for him.

US-consortium's influence on Ben Osborn decision could be dangerous

If we're being frank, the likes of Osborn are not part of the future of the club, if they plan on being a serious contender to get up to and stay in the Premier League. He's not an obvious candidate to blame for the calamity that was last season. Nobody individually was. But it was clear as day that the squad, as a whole, wasn't up to the level.

Moving on from Osborn and Wes Foderingham and Chris Basham and others is probably the smart thing to do, but these decisions should be made by the current owners.

The consortium are not yet in control of the club and, as Blades fans will be well aware of, these things can fall through unexpectedly. The influence that they already look to have on these key decisions could be seen as a bit of a red flag.

Now, admittedly, you could just as easily look at this news and think 'That's a smart choice and I'd like to see more of these decisions made in the future'.

Electing to part ways with Osborn, itself, is probably the right thing, but because it's been affected by a party who shouldn't have any real say over the goings-on at Bramall Lane yet, it can be looked at as an odd piece of business.