"Has divided opinion" - Sheffield United summer signing backed to flourish under Chris Wilder | OneFootball

Kieffer Moore has been backed by FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit despite enduring something of a goal drought thus far

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...

Kieffer Moore has been lauded for his early-season impact at Sheffield United - despite only scoring once and coming under recent fire from supporters following his summer switch from Bournemouth.

The Wales international frontman headed to Bramall Lane this summer on a permanent deal from the Premier League outfit, agreeing a three-year contract.

Moore had been poised to join Championship rivals Hull City but eventually elected to sign on in South Yorkshire instead, registering himself among a clutch of impressive recruits for Chris Wilder's side in the wake of their relegation from the top flight.

There had been strong expectation for Moore to hit the ground running and provide the requisite firepower to help send the Blades back to the big time at the first attempt, having inspired Ipswich Town's 2023/24 promotion with a return of seven goals from 18 matches following a January loan switch.

The 32-year-old opened his account on his Bramall Lane debut by scoring in a 2-2 draw with QPR back in August but is yet to add any further strikes to his tally, which has recently invited critique from certain factions of the fanbase.

Kieffer Moore, Sheffield United verdict offered amid slow goalscoring start

Despite the division and Moore's own failure to score in any of his last four games at club level, Football League World's Blades fan pundit Jimmy (of The Blades Ramble YouTube channel) is still satisfied with the Welshman's all-round impact for the team, and therefore believes that he should not be solely measured on goals.

"Kieffer Moore has divided opinion among the fanbase, I've seen some stick for him online," Jimmy explained to Football League World.

"Don't get me wrong, a number nine's fundamental job is to lead the line and score goals and he's only got one goal so far. However, everything else he does is fantastic.

"He works hard, you can see his contributions to the team and he's always involved in everything positive for us as well.

"Whilst the naked eye might see a chance that he should've converted, if you look a little bit deeper he's involved in everything positive, winning headers, running the channels, chasing down defenders and leading that high press.

"I think he's been a superb signing for us and I hope that the lack of goals doesn't affect his confidence because he's been playing very well."

History suggests that Sheffield United are yet to see the best of Kieffer Moore

Any lingering concerns about Moore should perhaps be put at bay for the time being.

We are, of course, just six games into the new season - and it is one which United have started well by remaining unbeaten and winning on four occasions, but you still feel as though the best is yet to come.

That feeling should also be applicable for Moore, who is a seasoned Championship goalscorer and showed no signs of slowing down in spite of his age while on loan with Ipswich last term.

In most cases, strikers should really earn latitude when enduring inevitable goal droughts if other areas of their game are compensating and remain impactful, and that is certainly the case here.

As Jimmy points out, the former Cardiff City and Bournemouth striker is adept at running the channels and leading the press, which is vital in the high-octane brand of football Wilder tends to deploy.

His physical presence speaks for itself too, enabling Moore to win both ground and aerial duels, threaten from set-plays and win cheap fouls late on when his side need to kill the tempo of the game - and those qualities are already coming up trumps.

Moore was accompanied in joining the club by productive creative outlets such as Callum O'Hare and Harrison Burrows. There is perhaps better to come from those two, and the latter's inswinging corner and free-kick deliveries should see Moore earn the fruits of his labour as the season goes on.