Sheffield United will have a lot of things to work on during the international break with the Blades enduring another difficult period in the Championship over the last few weeks.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s side have suffered three defeats in their last five and have only managed to win one of those fixtures in the league in that time.

That means that the Blades have dropped back down the table and they currently sit in 18th position, and they are as close to the bottom three at this point in the campaign as they are to the play-offs.

It would have been expected that Sheffield United would be higher in the table than they are at the moment, but there is still time for the Blades to go on a run and close the gap on the teams that are above them in the table this season. Indeed, the hope will be that Jokanovic repeats his previous trick of getting better results from his squad during the second half of campaigns.

The next few weeks are crucial for Sheffield United and they need to return from the international break ready to pick up some much-needed results.

Doing that will keep them in touch with the sides chasing the top-six before the January transfer window where the Blades have the chance to enhance their squad.

So, with all that in mind we take a look at some of the latest news that is concerning the Blades at the moment…

Sheffield United to bow out of race for in-demand John Swift

Sheffield United will be in need of a new midfielder during the January transfer window and there have been some reports recently that the Blades could once again turn their attentions towards Reading’s in-form and influential performer John Swift in January.

The Blades did indeed make an approach for Swift last season as he entered the latter part of his current contract with Reading. However, in the end, nothing came of that and the midfielder has remained with the Championship side where he has enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign and scored eight goals and registered six assists in 17 appearances.

It is being reported by the Sheffield Star that the Blades have continued to monitor Swift’s performances for Reading this season with the possibility of them making another move to sign the midfielder.

However, it has now reached the stage where Sheffield United are ready to move on to other targets and admit defeat in the race for Swift.

That comes with the likes of Burnley, Leeds United and Wolves all considering potential offers to Reading for him in the winter window.

 

 

Alex Collado remains on Sheffield United’s radar as wide options considered

One player that Sheffield United hoped to bring into the club before the end of the summer window was Barcelona winger Alex Collado. However, that move ultimately fell through towards the latter stages of the transfer window as the Blades failed to add the winger to their squad that Jokanovic had been hoping for.

According to the latest report from the Sheffield Star, Jokanovic is wanting the Blades to prioritise the addition of two wingers and a defensive-minded midfield player in the January transfer window. That comes with the Serbian hoping to use the market to fix areas of weakness within his squad.

It is believed that Collado remains a player that Sheffield United are keen on despite the collapse of that deal in the summer.

Although the way that deal did not come off in the summer might potentially be a stumbling block to a fresh move in the winter window.

Slavisa Jokanovic issues message on his Sheffield United future

Amid Sheffield United’s poor start to the campaign it was always going to be the case that question marks will be asked of Jokanovic and his long-term future at Bramall Lane.

However, the Sheffield Star have reported that despite the Blades’ indifferent start to life under the Serbian, he is not thought to be under any immediate pressure from the club’s hierarchy.

Despite that though, Jokanovic will be well aware that if he can not get the Blades picking up better results during the rest of the season then eventually there will come a time when his future will be in serious doubt. There have already been numerous managerial departures in both the Premier League and Championship so far this term to underline that.

Speaking to the media though, Jokanovic has admitted that he does not concern himself with thoughts over what the future holds for him at Sheffield United.

That comes with the Serbian insisting that all of his focus is on the present and turning around the Blades’ current form.