This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Sheffield United had a generally successful season under the management of Paul Heckingbottom in 2021-22, and were able to make the play-offs after an upturn in form following his November appointment.
However, despite their best efforts and taking Nottingham Forest to extra time and penalties, United were unable to defeat the Reds, meaning they face another season in the Championship.
Blades boss Heckingbottom will be looking to make improvements to his side over summer as they look to be capable of pushing and gaining promotion next season, and one of the places he will be giving attention is his defence.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, United are targeting Dion Sanderson from Wolverhampton Wanderers as a new recruit this summer after he spent last season on loan with both Birmingham City and QPR, making 26 Championship appearances in total.
FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit Owain Wyse believes that Sanderson would be a welcome addition at Bramall Lane this summer, saying: "Sanderson is a man that we seem to have been chasing for a while now.
"I remember hearing his name mentioned under Wilder and clearly now the interest has been renewed.
"We're currently lacking in defensive cover after both Filip Uremovic and Ben Davies left the club so Sanderson could provide us a solid option for the cover of Chris Basham next season.
"From what I've seen of him, he looks like a player that could fit our style of play.
"He's a centre back that's good on the ball and capable of going forwards.
"He's still young as well so if we signed him, I could see him improving and pushing for that starting spot towards the end of the season.
"I'd certainly be looking to bring in a defender or two this summer and Sanderson's currently the best option in my opinion of the players that I've heard mentioned in rumours so far."
The Verdict
As Owain says, this seems like it could be a fairly solid signing for the Blades this summer.
As it stands, it's not likely he would walk into the starting line-up but with some stability at the club and the mentorship of Paul Heckingbottom who has proven the ability to develop players, he could start pushing for that spot later on in the season.
He's a player that is consistently solid in defence and therefore could provide as cover for some of the more senior players in the squad when called upon next season.
United definitely need to be looking at their defensive options if they wish to push on towards the play-offs and promotion next season so it is the right kind of target for them and a player with potential to further develop serving them in a more long-term way too.