Double Leicester City update in the last 24 hours hands Sheffield United new transfer blow | OneFootball

Sheffield United's chances of re-signing Harry Souttar appear to be shrinking after Ben Nelson's injury at Leicester City.

Sheffield United have suffered a blow in their attempts to re-sign Harry Souttar from Leicester City, after Ben Nelson's ACL injury and the Australian's subsequent captaincy responsibilities.

The news that the Leicester City captain and defender Nelson will miss most of the 2026-27 season after having ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament has been a big blow to the Foxes' pre-season preparations.

Nelson had to leave the field during their pre-season friendly match against Genoa, and the news of the seriousness of the injury was confirmed before their EFL Cup match against Northampton Town this weekend, with manager Russell Martin telling BBC Radio Leicester that "it's really disappointing. Sad for him, sad for us."

But Martin will not be the only person disappointed by all of this. He also confirmed that Souttar will be stepping in to captain the team for the Northampton match, and this small chain of events could also have knock-on effects at Sheffield United, given their interest in Souttar.

Ben Nelson's injury is a big blow to Leicester City, and could also be for Sheffield United

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Nelson's injury is a big blow for Leicester City. The defender, who made 27 appearances for them in the Championship last season, was captain for the Genoa game and was clearly a big part of Martin's plans for the season.

But this injury could also impact Chris Wilder at Sheffield United. Souttar, who's been confirmed as the captain for Leicester's match against Northampton, had been reported on the 27th July by the BBC to be in talks with the Blades, but with Nelson now expected to be out for the entire 2026-27 season, it now seems considerably less likely that Leicester will sell Souttar. The fact he's landed the captain's armband, too, further lessens the chances of that happening.

There is a degree of irony in all of this, in that Souttar would have been making a return to Bramall Lane, having spent the first half of the 2024-25 season on loan there from Leicester. This loan had been intended as a season-long one, but it was curtailed early after Souttar ruptured his ACL playing for United against Oxford United on Boxing Day.

What fans are saying about the Ben Nelson injury

Fans have had a lot to say about Nelson's injury. Nelson only has a year to run on his contract at Leicester, and this Foxes fan feels that he should sign a new contract with the club if he's going to spend most of 2026-27 in rehabilitation:

This Leicester fan feels that the Foxes now have to make a centre-back a priority in this transfer window:

And this fan feels that Leicester should have sold Nelson before this injury occurred:

Ben Nelson's injury will have knock-on effects for Harry Souttar

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Sheffield United weren't the only club who were interested in signing Harry Souttar from Leicester City this summer. Indeed, the West Ham fan site West Ham News were describing him as the Irons' "defender-in-waiting" as recently as the 20th July.

But talk of Souttar going to The London Stadium had been superceded by the Sheffield United rumours, with Chris Wilder having told BBC Radio Sheffield that, "he's one that obviously has got history with us and we have been linked with him as well", and that, "we've already had conversations with Leicester about taking him, so the conversations will be ongoing."

It remains to be seen what happens next. Russell Martin appointing Souttar as the Leicester captain for the Northampton match doesn't necessarily mean that the Foxes' boss isn't treating this as a short-term solution. They could yet choose to bring in another defender before the end of the transfer window and move Souttar on regardless, and there are still more than three weeks before that window closes.

And Souttar may even be disappointed by all this himself, since it would mean him playing this season in League One rather than the Championship. But since he's under contract with Leicester until 2028, he may now be left with little choice but to stay at The King Power Stadium, though it's unclear how close to a Bramall Lane switch he actually was by the point of the injury.

But there's no doubting that Nelson's injury is a big blow for more than one club, and Martin's decision to publicly confirm that Souttar would be captaining their next match can only be interpreted as an indication that Souttar is now back in his plans. This in turn is a massive blow to Wilder and Sheffield United's plans.