Bradford City should not regret sale of Bantams 'legend' to Sheffield United - they cashed in at the 'right time' | OneFootball

FLW's Bradford City fan pundit has given his verdict on whether the 2017 sale of James Hanson was the right move or not

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…

James Hanson struggled to make an impact at Sheffield United following his move from Bradford City in January 2017.

The forward made the switch in a deal worth a reported £150,000, with the Blades looking to earn promotion from League One.

The Bantams were in the mix for a place in the Championship, eventually missing out with a 1-0 loss to Millwall at Wembley Stadium in the play-off final.

The forward scored four times from 17 appearances in the regular campaign, but departed in the winter market as they earned a fifth-place finish.

During his time at Bramall Lane, Hanson managed just 14 appearances in League One, scoring just once.

He was unable to live up to expectations for Sheffield United, having previously been a crucial player for Bradford, most notably scoring the goal against Aston Villa that earned them a place in the EFL Cup final in 2013.

Bradford cashed in on James Hanson at the right time

When asked if the club regret moving on Hanson in 2017, FLW’s Bradford fan pundit Boris Thomson claimed they sold at the right time, as the forward was past his peak by then.

While he is surprised that the forward couldn’t continue his goal scoring ways at Bramall Lane, but that cashing in when they did ultimately proved the right move for the League One side at the time.

“It’s an interesting question, we all know he was never the same player at Sheffield United that he was for us,” Thomson told Football League World.

“I think when you’re at a club for such a length of time, moving to somewhere else like Sheffield United from Bradford is probably a lot harder than if you’re moving constantly and regularly like a player who gets sent out on loan from a Premier League club or something like that, used to the move.

“I’m surprised he didn’t continue his goal scoring form when he went to Sheffield United, but from the perspective of Bradford he was 29 when he went there, so we probably did cash in at about the right time because he only had a couple seasons left in him at the peak of his powers.

“So if a decent offer came in, then I think it would be right to take it, any club would to be perfectly honest.”

Thomson has reflected on Hanson’s time with the Bantams, while also claiming supporters wanted the best for him at Sheffield United: “But, big Jim, what a legend.

“I think we all wanted the best for him at Sheffield United, apart from if he scored against us.

“Didn’t exactly materialise, but I think from Bradford’s perspective it probably was the right time to cash in.”

Sheffield United earned promotion in 2017, while Bradford came within 90 minutes of doing the same, and have been unable to make a return to the second division in the years since.

James Hanson, Sheffield United sale potentially cost Bradford City promotion

Losing Hanson midway through the 2016/17 campaign could have been the difference between losing that play-off final and actually earning promotion.

Sheffield United were likely to earn a top two place regardless, especially as they finished 18 points clear of third.

The Bantams haven’t finished that high in the football pyramid in the years since, although they’ve made an encouraging start to life back in League One this season.

While it was possibly a good time to cash in on Hanson, Bradford may have been better off waiting until the summer given their promotion push.