5 free agents Sheffield United could sign ft Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at five free agents Chris Wilder could potentially bring to Sheffield United

Sheffield United will be desperate to climb towards the right end of the Championship table and potentially compete for promotion following Chris Wilder's swift return to the club, having been left rooted to the foot of the division upon dispensing Ruben Selles.

The Spaniard endured a dismal, and remarkably brief, tenure in the Blades dugout, losing each of his opening six matches before being dismissed in favour of a reunion with Wilder just four months on from his contentious sacking.

Parting ways with Wilder in the wake of a 92-point campaign, which saw the Blades only miss out on automatic promotion to 100-point pair Leeds United and Burnley before suffering a last-grasp play-off final defeat to Regis Le Bris' Sunderland, was met with contention and opposition at the time, and it's a decision that has since backfired dramatically at Bramall Lane.

Nonetheless, the focus will now be on attempting to salvage the season and finishing as high as possible under Wilder, who is sure to spend time running the rule over a squad assembled by Selles as part of a summer overhaul. The Yorkshireman will have to wait until January before entering the transfer market to bolster the side at his disposal, although he could yet explore the free agent market in search of a quick fix.

Admittedly, Wilder himself has revealed that he believes the current squad needs to be trimmed, but desperation could kick in if he falls short of immediately shifting the club's fortunes.

With that in mind, Football League World has duly taken a look at five free agents who the Blades could sign in the coming weeks and months.

6 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

One of the most eye-catching names still available on the free agent market is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who remains without a club following his release from Besiktas.

Now aged 32, the dynamic utility man would bring a wealth of top-flight experience and pedigree, having made just shy of 350 combined appearances for Arsenal and Liverpool between 2011 and 2022.

With Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles under his belt along with three FA Cup winner's medals, it's easy to see why any Championship club would be implored to take a calculated punt on Oxlade-Chamberlain before the turn of the year.

Indeed, just this summer, Oxlade-Chamberlain was linked with a move to Birmingham City, although that never materialised. Blues' loss, however, could be United's gain, as Wilder could benefit from the know-how and positional flexibility of Oxlade-Chamberlain.

United are relatively light in the midfield engine room and should consider weighing up a swoop for the 35-cap former England international, who made 50 appearances across his two seasons in Türkiye.

5 Josh Dasilva

Perhaps the most appealing potential free transfer acquisition, however, would be that of Josh Dasilva, with the 26-year-old on the look-out for a new club after being let go by Brentford at the end of the previous campaign.

Virtually the entirety of the ex-England under-21 international's career has been undertaken in West London, as he joined Brentford from Arsenal in the summer of 2018 and established himself as a key performer for the Bees. Dasilva notably scored on ten occasions from midfield in the 2019/20 campaign before helping Brentford to promotion the year after.

However, wretched injury luck prevented him from making a smooth transition to the Premier League under Thomas Frank and he only ever surpassed the benchmark of 10 top-flight appearances in one of his four seasons with Brentford after promotion. He featured 36 times during the 2022/23 season, returning four goals, but has not turned out since January 2024 owing to a serious knee injury.

Dasilva continued his recovery process at Brentford during the summer months following his release, and while it remains unclear just how close he is to returning to the pitch, United should be keeping a close eye on developments on that front.

The Arsenal academy product knows what it takes to get out of the Championship and would bring both a cool head and an energetic presence to the Blades' midfield ranks, while his goal threat through late-box runs is an added advantage and could give Wilder's side a new dimension.

4 Tom Lawrence

Tom Lawrence could be another option worth assessing as he awaits his next destination after departing Scottish giants Rangers back in the summer.

The 31-year-old is no stranger to the Championship, where he has spent the bulk of his career in spells with the likes of Cardiff City, Ipswich Town and Derby County.

He is, of course, best known for his time at Derby, having returned 37 goals from 185 appearances across a largely-productive stay in the East Midlands before leaving for Rangers in 2022.

Capable of playing in attacking midfield or on either flank, Lawrence struggled to nail down a regular starting berth at Ibrox but, still aged just 31, one would like to imagine that the 23-cap Welsh international still has plenty to offer in English football's second-tier.

Louie Barry is yet to find his feet in the Steel City after arriving on a hotly-anticipated season-long loan deal from Aston Villa, and with just Tahith Chong and Chiedozie Ogbene representing the other two natural wide options at Wilder's disposal - with the exception of versatile star Gus Hamer, of course - another winger in through the door could prove a handy short-term fix.

It's no secret that the Blades are short-staffed in the way of both proven quality and personnel throughout the final third, and Wilder can call upon only two seasoned, senior strikers in misfiring frontman Tom Cannon and summer recruit Danny Ings.

Another marksman, then, should be on the agenda either in the free agent market or when the new year rolls around. Should Wilder desire an immediate solution to United's goalscoring woes, though, then he should contemplate the prospect of bringing in Emmanuel Dennis on a free transfer.

The Nigerian attacker is a free agent after being released by Nottingham Forest in August and has endured a mixed time in English football after first landing at Watford four years ago, although his opening campaign with the Hornets was hugely-encouraging and may leave a manager like Wilder wondering whether he can reignite the flame that once burned so brightly at the highest level.

Dennis registered 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League to earn his move to Forest, which, it must be said, proved an ill-fated one.

The now-27-year-old scored just twice from 25 appearances before serving the remainder of his time at the City Ground in exile or out on loan, thrice heading to the Championship in mixed temporary stints with Watford and, most recently, Blackburn Rovers.

Dennis struggled to make an impact at Ewood Park and failed to score in seven matches, although he did play just 156 minutes of Championship football and, with greater game time, could be more influential. He's still only 27, after all, and has proven quality at top-flight level, while his ability to both lead the line and operate out wide could make him an interesting option to mull over.

In contrast to the aforementioned options, former Ipswich Town captain Sam Morsy will not be able to join another club until the January transfer window opens following his recent exit from Kuwait SC.

Curiously released earlier this week despite captaining the side up until his third and final appearance, in which he was sent off against Al-Arabi, one would assume Morsy will have no shortage of Championship suitors courtesy of a sparkling body of work with Ipswich, whom he left in the summer to pen a lucrative two-year contract in Kuwait City.

The ex-Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough midfield enforcer, who also has eight caps to his name for Egypt at senior international level, led Ipswich to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League under Kieran McKenna and was an ever-present as they were relegated from the top-flight just last season.

At 34, Morsy has very much entered the twilight of his career but remains a steely and dogged presence at the heart of midfield, with his tenacity and ability to break up play representing qualities in which the Blades are very much lacking after selling Vini Souza to Wolfsburg.