Second-tier side Sheffield United failed to push through a loan move for Parma forward Yann Karamoh due to the fact the 23-year-old was unable to obtain a work permit, according to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb.

The former French youth international, who travelled to his native county to complete a medical ahead of a move to Bramall Lane, was unable to receive clearance to play in the United Kingdom despite spending the whole of his career playing for nations inside the European Union.

The UK's withdrawal from the bloc has made it harder for certain players to receive work permits, potentially contributing to this major blow for the Blades who would have ideally wanted a forward to come in and shake up an attacking department that didn't step up to the plate in the Premier League.

 

 

Karamoh made an £11m move to Inter Milan from Caen back in 2017 as a promising 19-year-old - but failed to make a real impact at the San Siro and after being loaned out to Bordeaux and Parma, he officially signed for the latter on a permanent deal last summer.

He only scored two goals in 24 Serie A appearances for Enzo Maresca's side last season as they suffered relegation from the top division. And with this, the Italian side were seemingly tempted to let go of the 23-year-old.

However, he now looks set to remain at the Ennio Tardini Stadium until January, in a crushing blow to Sheffield United who have struggled majorly in the transfer window this summer.

The Verdict:

Even though the work permit issue was out of their hands, this failure to recruit a striker this summer is due to the fact they just didn't move quickly enough for players during the summer window.

Multiple managers across the EFL have spoken about how slow the market was up until the last few days of the window, but with the funds generated from their time in the Premier League and the sale of Aaron Ramsdale to Arsenal, they should have been much more prepared.

Many Sheffield United fans may have understood manager Slavisa Jokanovic's need to wait until later on in the window to make signings after only arriving in England at the start of July, but after having time to assess his squad, more signings could have ideally been made at the start of August in time for the new season.

Their delay in securing moves has meant they still look a little light in some areas of the pitch after seeing moves for Karamoh and winger Alex Collado fall through - and this could end up being detrimental to their promotion chances. The good thing about the last couple of days is the fact they managed to bring in two much-needed central midfielders and a goalkeeper to replace Ramsdale.

The bad news is that they failed to bring in wingers to make them less one-dimensional going forward. Thankfully, they have more than enough strikers to cope with injuries or suspensions, but whether all of them can step up to the plate is another matter.