Billy Sharp to Rotherham United? It should be on the cards despite big concern | OneFootball

Billy Sharp is a free agent this summer, and could find himself ticking off another Yorkshire club in his career, despite being in his forties

One of the EFL's greatest ever players, if not the greatest, Billy Sharp, is a free agent for only the second time in his career.

And while the first instance of him being out of contract led him to play in America for LA Galaxy for half a season, the expectations are that, if his footballing career continues into the 2026/27 campaign, it'll be with another EFL club.

Indeed, Sharp was released from his contract at Doncaster Rovers this summer and signed off his fourth Donny spell the only way he knows how, with a hat trick in his final appearance away at Peterborough United.

While that could be a sign for the 40-year-old to end his career on a high, it could also outline that, after a campaign where he's played 45 times in all competitions, he's still got what it takes to be a top striker in the lower leagues in the EFL.

Plus, that hat-trick took him to 299 career goals, so it would only be right for him to play on until he crosses 300.

Rotherham United should ignore age barrier and look to Billy Sharp to fire them back to League One

Sharp told the BBC shortly after it was announced that he'd be leaving the Eco Power Stadium that he'd be keen to play on for another year, and that he was going to leave his future "wide open".

You'd imagine that, given he turned 40 in February, some clubs may be reluctant to sign him this summer, given the ideal direction of bringing in younger players who have good sell-on possibilities in the future that teams adopt now. It's safe to say that Sharp doesn't possess that.

But, if there's any club that is looking for some short-term goals to be checked off, there may be no better summer signings than the all-time EFL top scorer.

One club that will have promotion on their mind next season is Rotherham United, who fell into League Two this year after a truly disappointing year. Having bounced between the Championship and League One for the better part of a decade, they won't want fourth-tier football to become the norm.

With Sam Nombe expected to attract interest from sides higher up, the Millers will need a new striker, and while Sharp shouldn't be relied on as the main frontman, nor should he be the only addition to the frontline if they do pursue him, he'd be one of the best squad options out there.

As mentioned, the 40-year-old played 45 times in all competitions this past season, netting 14 goals, and only had one calf injury setback in March, which saw him in the treatment room. Other than that, he was available for the entire campaign.

He can clearly still impact games in his forties, as seen on the final day, so a team such as Rotherham, who will be focusing on the short-term goal in 2026/27, should be looking at adding him to their ranks.

Billy Sharp can secure more success with a Yorkshire side if he makes the move to Rotherham United

Sheffield-born Sharp has cultivated a career in Yorkshire. Barring stints at Southampton and then at LA Galaxy, plus short loan spells with Rushden and Diamonds, Scunthorpe United, Nottingham Forest and Reading, the 40-year-old has played his entire career in the county.

He's more famously donned the shirts of Sheffield United and Doncaster, but has also played for Leeds United and Hull City, too.

He hasn't yet played for Rotherham, but he could make himself a hero for yet another South Yorkshire-based side if he were to help the Millers secure promotion back to League One at the first time of asking.

Sharp helped Doncaster to the League Two title back in the 2024/25 term, netting nine goals along the way as predominantly a bench option, including one late on against Bradford City in the penultimate game of the season to mathematically secure promotion.

These last few years at Donny have helped him prove that age really is just a number, and the EFL legend could add another feather to his cap by securing a personal seventh promotion in his career, netting his 300th goal in the process and then riding off into the sunset this time next year.