Premier League 2023-24 preview No 17: Sheffield United
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily John Ashdown’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 2nd in Championship
Prospects
Bleak. This season was always going to be an uphill struggle but the departure of Iliman Ndiaye, the team’s undoubted star, is a monumental blow that threatens to derail the campaign before it has begun. It’s hard to overestimate the Senegal international’s importance to United’s promotion campaign and his £20m sale to Marseille, coupled with the departure of key midfielder Sander Berge to Burnley this week, means a sense of chaos has enveloped the club in the days leading up to kick-off.
Throw in the loan returns of James McAtee and Tommy Doyle to Manchester City, two vital cogs in the promotion push, and Paul Heckingbottom’s side is undeniably in a significantly weaker position than they ended last season – not exactly the ideal recipe for a club entering the toughest league in the world.
Is there any hope of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship? With purse strings tight, bargain basement signings – Anis Slimane from Brondby, Bénie Traoré from Häcken in particular – will have to come off spectacularly, though the arrival of Traoré was delayed by work permit problems that meant the Ivorian, who was leading the scoring in the Swedish Allsvenskan before his move, has missed much of the club’s pre-season preparations. Further additions are a must, though the club is surely a tougher sale than it was.
Veterans of the disastrous relegation season of 2020-21 – John Egan, George Baldock, Ollie Norwood, Oli McBurnie, the injury-plagued Rhian Brewster – have a chance to show that campaign was an empty-stadium anomaly, and – if green shoots of optimism are your thing – it is worth remembering that Heckingbottom can still call on eight members of the squad that took them to a remarkable ninth-placed finish in 2019-20.
The defence should be robust enough, with Auston Trusty – supporters’ player of the year while on loan at Birmingham last season – arriving from Arsenal for what has been described as a “significant, undisclosed fee” to bolster an already accomplished backline. Without Ndiaye and Berge, though, creativity and control are likely to be major problems.
The manager
Paul Heckingbottom has quietly become one of the most successful managers in the club’s history. Not (yet) as loved as Chris Wilder or Dave Bassett but he has done a remarkable job to turn the club around after the relegation in 2021 (for which he was caretaker for the final nine games) and the disjointed reign of Slavisa Jokanovic. In a bleak off-field situation (the club up for sale and a transfer embargo in place between January and April) the
Barnsley-born Heckingbottom steered them to a comfortable second-placed finish last season, giving youth a chance and – crucially – persuading the bigger names to stick around for the ride. Fans sing his name to the tune of Status Quo’s Rocking All Over the World – but will hope it’s not Down, Down by the end of this campaign
Leading the shirt sales
The latest in the club’s pantheon of attacking central defenders, Anel Ahmedhodzic, signed from Malmö in the summer of 2022, excelled on the right side of the back three last season and weighed in with six goals, continuing in the swashbuckling tradition of Jack O’Connell and Chris Basham. Loves an overhead kick attempt (attempt being the operative word) but his defensive skills are more likely to be tested this season and he was outstanding in the FA Cup win over Spurs in March. A Bosnia international but born in Sweden and came through the ranks at Malmö. Has a poster of Zlatan Ibrahimovic riding a lion on his games room wall and owns a cat called Katt.
Folk hero
Billy Sharp departing at the end of last season left a vacancy for the position – Oli McBurnie is among the contenders to fill it. He began last season awaiting trial after being charged with assault during a pitch invasion at the end of the play-off semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. He ended the season with 15 goals in all competitions – comfortably his best return in four seasons at Bramall Lane – and was found not guilty in
December. Has clearly formed a strong bond with Heckingbottom and, though he does still divide opinion among fans, his thumping volley to equalise against Luton last August – ending a 43-match 20-month goalless streak in the league – was one of the moments of the season.
One to watch
Daniel Jebbison, who turns 20 on Sunday, already has a Premier League goal to his name, having scored the winner against Everton at Goodison as a 17-year-old in 2021. Has been linked with a move to Merseyside since and Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham are among those thought to be keeping a watching eye on a player who was part of the England Under-20 World Cup squad this summer. Struggled for form and fitness at times last season but his potential is huge and Ndiaye’s departure could mean more minutes. Danish striker Will Osula, a year Jebbison’s junior, is also pushing for regular first-team action and could start against Crystal Palace on Saturday.