Blades rebuild already under way - Wilder
SHEFFIELD United boss Chris Wilder will step up his plans for a summer rebuild at the club following their swift return to the Sky Bet Championship.
The Blades’ relegation after one season back in the top flight was confirmed after last week’s 5-1 defeat at Newcastle and Wilder had already begun the process of a clear-out at Bramall Lane.
He told a press conference: “I’m getting on with it now, speaking to players and meeting agents and heavily in discussions with targets, speaking to players who might not be on the next part of the journey here and their agents because there are a lot of moving parts.
“Players out of contract and players who are in contract, who may not be on the journey, options to take up and youngsters to look at as well.
“We’re heavily engrossed anyway and have been for a while, but now it steps up.”
Wilder returned for a second spell as Blades manager when he replaced the sacked Paul Heckingbottom in December, with the club already bottom of the table having lost 11 of their first 14 league games.
They beat Brentford in Wilder’s second game in charge, but have won just one of their following 19 and relegation was confirmed with three games remaining.
Wilder added: “I’ve got great clarity and I have for quite a while.
“I’ve said it before, if players start turning up with four or five games to go, I’d be asking where that was 10 or 20 games ago.
“It’s an honest and correct way to look at it. I’m too honest and open about views, sometimes to my detriment, and sometimes I should keep my counsel.
“But that’s the way I roll and this is an honest and down to earth football club. These decisions have been made, some easy and some tough, but all for the benefit of the football club.”
Wilder’s side play their penultimate home league game this afternoon against Nottingham Forest, who are fighting to escape relegation, and midfielder James Mcatee is back in contention.
The South Yorkshire club are three goals away from becoming the second side in Premier League history to concede 100 in a single campaign after Swindon in a 42-game season in 1993-94.