Chris Wilder told to make summer move for Burnley man - 'He’s a very Sheffield United type player' | OneFootball

Sheffield United missed out on a deal for Joe Worrall in January, but fan pundit Jimmy believes they should still target the defender in the summer.

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 have been told to make a move for Joe Worrall in the summer transfer window after they failed to bring the centre-back in from Burnley before Monday’s deadline.

The Blades had a very busy window, with Chris Wilder reshaping the squad following his return to Bramall Lane for a third time.

However, despite FLW revealing that Worrall was a target, Sheffield United couldn’t finalise a move for the Burnley man, meaning the 29-year-old will remain at Turf Moor until the summer at least.

Sheffield United told to return for Joe Worrall this summer

With Worrall having excelled in the Championship in the past, which includes helping Nottingham Forest to promotion, he would’ve been a good signing on paper.

When quizzed by FLW about missing out on the defender, Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy from the Blades Ramble podcast admitted Worrall is a player he rates, and even though he can understand why a move didn’t happen in January, he hopes the club go back in for him this summer.

“I love Worrall as a defender, and he’s a very Sheffield United type player - a leader, strong, determined. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we went in for him in the summer, but we’ve already got a bloated squad.

“We’ve got four centre-backs we can rotate around. Japhet Tanganga and Tyler Bindon are first-choice at the moment, but we have Ben Mee and Mark McGuinness behind them. We’ve got Leo Hjelde who has come in, who can play centre-back as well if required.

“So, it doesn’t surprise me that we didn’t go all-out to get Worrall at this stage, but I’m fully expecting changes to the back line in the summer, particularly if we’re not promoted, which doesn’t look likely.

“I would love Worrall in the red-and-white, but I’m not surprised it hasn’t happened in January.”

Sheffield United must continue to back Chris Wilder moving forward

The 3-1 win over Oxford on Tuesday night means Sheffield United are eight points away from the play-offs with 16 games to go heading into the weekend, so whilst they still have some hope, most would agree that promotion looks a long shot.

But, the improvement since Wilder has come back has been clear to see, and his record shows that he knows exactly what is required to be successful at this level.

To their credit, the board have backed him this month, and there is a lot of talent in this Blades squad right now, as well as plenty of depth.

Nevertheless, the long-term aim is returning to the Premier League, so another productive window will be needed in the summer if they don’t go up, and centre-back could come into focus.

With Bindon only on loan, and Mee out of contract in the summer, it's an area they may need to revamp, whilst McGuinness may not want to stick around if he isn't in the XI.

It remains to be seen whether Worrall is on the agenda, and a deal may be difficult if Burnley are relegated, as they could be a promotion rival, but many would agree that he is the sort of profile that Sheffield United will need, and he has qualities that would improve Wilder’s team.