This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield United are reportedly interested in signing Sporting Kansas City forward Johnny Russell but face competition from Fulham and Newcastle United.

According to The Sun, Russell has caught the attention of the three English sides and is set to become a free agent this summer.

So, would he be a good signing for the Blades?

We quizzed our FLW writers...

George Harbey

I’m really not sure that this would be a good signing for Sheffield United.

Now they are preparing for life back in the Championship, it’s time for the club to regroup and push back towards the Premier League. They still have a good squad and perhaps a better one than the one which went up under Wilder.

But I just cannot see Russell signing for Sheffield United, whatsoever.

The Blades play with wing-backs, and I can’t see them changing from that anytime soon.

Russell is 31 and had his time in the Championship with Derby before, but I don’t think he’d offer anything different to what they already have.

Sam Rourke

I'm not so sure.

I was a big fan of Russell during his time at Derby County and it appears like he's continued his impressive form over in the States.

But, Russell is reaching the latter end of his career and with the Blades ideally looking for an immediate return to the Premier League, I'm uncertain whether he still has the qualities to operate consistently at this level.

Also, you do wonder where the winger fits into the Blades XI? Especially with United operating mainly with wing-backs that bomb up and down the flanks.

He could be a useful addition for other sides in the league, but for me, Bramall Lane doesn't strike me as the best destination for the Scotsman.

Toby Wilding 

I'm not convinced on this one from a Sheffield United perspective in all honesty.

Russell is obviously a player who knows the Championship well from his time at Derby, but he was never really prolific while at Pride Park in all honesty, meaning you wonder if he would be able to get the goals the Blades would want from him.

Indeed, at 31-years-old, Russell also appears to be approaching the latter stages of his career, meaning it could be argued that this wouldn't really be a long-term investment for Sheffield United.

It is also that there are already a number of strikers under contract at Bramall Lane who have shown they are capable of scoring goals at Championship level - such as David McGoldrick, Rhian Brewster and Oli McBurnie - meaning I'm not sure whether this is a move that Sheffield United necessarily need to make right now.