Sheffield United's important weapon in transfer market amid Bramall Lane budget restriction

With funds once again limited in the transfer market this summer, despite Sheffield United spending three of the last five seasons in the Premier League, Chris Wilder will again have to box clever as he looks to rebuild his Blades squad. As things stand, amid uncertainty caused by a US-led takeover bid, Wilder is focusing on the free agent and loan markets, with some ‘small fees’ available for permanent signings.

United will not be able to blow any of their competitors out of the water in this window, meaning that any player joining the Blades this summer will be doing so for footballing reasons rather than financial. That will put them on the back foot in some deals - such as one for Alan Browne, the Preston skipper who is being offered big money to stay at Deepdale.

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But United have other weapons in their arsenal when it comes to signing players, with boss Wilder insistent that the Blades remain an attractive destination for players despite last season’s Premier League struggle. The reputation of United’s coaching staff is one, with the prospect of playing at Bramall Lane another. Sam Curtis, the talented Irish youngster who joined United in January, rejected offers from another clubs after feeling immediately at home at United under Wilder and former Irish international Keith Andrews.

“I went over to the Luton game on Saint Stephen's Day [Boxing Day] and my mam wasn’t too impressed, because she wanted the family around,” Curtis, speaking on The Molloy Twins podcast earlier this month, said. “Me and my dad flew over, met Keith Andrews and Chris Wilder and the feel that I got when I was there was just different to anywhere else I visited.

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“And I think going with that gut feeling is such a big thing because rarely is it wrong. So I got that feeling and then I went with it. I came back and had a couple of weeks to think about my decision, because I didn’t end up going until late in January. Ultimately I made the decision to go there and haven’t looked back since.

“There were other clubs as well. I met with a few other clubs as well, in different places, and if I wasn’t meeting them in person it was Zoom calls and stuff. I was just weighing up everything but I’m delighted with the decision that I made, to go to Sheffield in the end, because I’ve really enjoyed my time there so far.

“Obviously where we finished in the league, it’s not ideal but I think that grounds you a bit as well. You can see what it’s like from a young age and when you’re at the lowest low, it’ll make you appreciate it so much more when you’re in the high moments.”

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Curtis established a reputation as one of the biggest talents to emerge from the League of Ireland in recent years with his performance for St. Pat’s, which caught the eye of a number of teams both in England and elsewhere. He made his Premier League debut as a second-half substitute away at Everton towards the back end of the season and after the departure of George Baldock, may challenge Jayden Bogle for the right wing-back spot when the new Championship campaign gets underway.

“When I first moved to England I thought I’d be grand,” Curtis added. “I’m not really a homebird anyway, I’d never really be in the house, but to be honest it was tough. I had a bit of family stuff going on as well while I was over in England and it was like hard to get home. And it was hard for my family to come over as well.

“So I was there on my own a lot and it was hard. But I got to a certain point, sitting there with my own thoughts, and said to myself: ‘Right, what are you here for?’ I tell myself I’m here to play football, I’m here to make a career for myself and for my future. And I think once I came to terms with that, I just kicked on.

“I proper feel like myself there now. I’m on my break now at home but I think eventually I’m going to start missing home [in Sheffield], missing my apartment and missing the lads. Missing going into the training ground every day. So it’s just a new normal now. It was hard when I first went, but now I’m 100 per cent comfortable, 100 per cent settled. And yeah, I’m loving it.”