Football League World
·23 November 2024
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·23 November 2024
Hamer is one of the Blades' key men in their promotion push
Gustavo Hamer has been one of the Championship's best players in recent years, and has been a key part of Sheffield United's midfield since his arrival from Coventry City last summer.
The 27-year-old was one of the few Blades players that emerged with credit in a turbulent 2023/24 Premier League campaign, and he received serious transfer interest in the summer as a result, but stayed at Bramall Lane.
He unsurprisingly began this term in fine form, and while he has spent time out of the starting eleven in recent weeks, it has been deemed imperative that he is not sold on in the new year, especially given the Blades' desire to make an immediate return to the top-flight next May.
Hamer has made 16 appearances in all competitions so far this season, and has registered four goals and one assist while helping Chris Wilder's side to a strong start, with United currently sat second in the Championship, level on points with table-topping Sunderland.
Hamer signed a four-year deal at Bramall Lane last year, meaning he is contracted to the club until 2027, and the length of his deal has given the Blades great leverage in transfer negotiations, and will continue to for the next few years.
TEAMtalk claimed in the summer that the 27-year-old had a relegation release clause in his contract, which alerted numerous clubs to his availability, but after he remained at the club, Sheff United Way revealed that the clause had expired, as it only applied during the window after the club was relegated from the Premier League to the Championship.
According to estimates from football finance site Capology, Hamer currently earns £30,000 per week at Sheffield United, which works out at an overall salary of £1.56 million per year.
His contract length means that he will earn £4.68m across his four-year deal, provided he sees those years out in South Yorkshire.
Hamer was the subject of serious transfer interest from fellow Championship side Leeds United over the summer, off the back of his impressive maiden top-flight campaign.
The Whites had multiple approaches rebuffed close to the deadline in August, including a reported £13m bid for his services that was duly rejected, as Chris Wilder claimed that he "(didn’t) know what they were thinking" when bidding such a fee for the Dutchman.
Given the impression he made at the top level, and the continuation of his great form into this campaign, it would not come as a shock to see a transfer battle emerge over Hamer's signature in the new year.
United will certainly not want to lose a player of his stature, but a lot of factors in the next two months could contribute to how open they are to a potential sale.
Their league position, for example, will likely play a huge part in his future, as they must continue to show signs of being able to compete at the top of the table for Hamer to feel like he has a chance of playing in the Premier League at the club again in the 2025/26 campaign.
The emergence and form of other midfielders could play a part too, with Sydie Peck the latest Blades academy graduate to break through and play regularly in the senior team, while Vinicius Souza and Ollie Arblaster have each been impressive in the middle of the park.
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