Sheffield United concern issued over "low-risk" imminent signing | OneFootball

Our Blades Fan Pundit discusses the latest potential addition at Bramall Lane

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 are closing in on a deal for former Stoke City striker Tyrese Campbell, according to reports.

As first reported by the Sheffield Star, Campbell was undergoing a medical with the Blades, with journalist Pete O'Rourke claiming that the 24-year-old is poised to sign a three-year deal at Bramall Lane.

He would be the club's fifth permanent signing this summer after they suffered relegation from the Premier League last term, with Chris Wilder finally putting a squad together after a summer of frustration thanks to protracted takeover attempts at boardroom level.

Sheffield United concern issued at Tyrese Campbell goalscoring and injury record

FLW'sBlades Fan Pundit, Jimmy from the Blades Ramble YouTube channel, has a few concerns with Campbell's move to Bramall Lane, but notes that the deal's low-cost nature reduces the risk substantially.

Speaking to Football League World, Jimmy said: “I’ve been very complimentary of our business this summer, and I’ll continue to be so, from the amount of work we’ve had to do, I think the level of quality of player we’ve brought in is really strong.

“I’m not 100 per cent sold on Tyrese Campbell. And that’s nothing against him personally, but his goal return isn’t great and his injury record concerns me.

“Having said that, there’s definitely a player in there. We’ve seen that he can get on a little bit of a run of form and cause teams problems at this level. “He can also play off the left, which will suit our system, so it’s another option for us. “I don’t think he’ll be necessarily a starter every game, but I think on a free transfer it’s an absolute no-brainer. "And we’ve seen things before with Chris Wilder of this ilk, where you look at David McGoldrick coming in on trial, on a free transfer, unfancied by a lot of clubs, went on to be one of our best players, really fondly remember by our fanbase. “Tyrese Campbell is still young, hopefully got a bright future in front of him. Obviously gone through a horrendous time, and if he joins us then he’ll have 30,000 Blades backing him every week. “So, I’m certainly not against it and, you know, if he can come in and he pads out our squad a bit then I don’t think it’s a bad signing at all.

“I suppose, the only other thing I’d say on Campbell is, it’s a risk, based on his previous injury record, but it’s a calculated risk and it’s low-risk because he’s on a free transfer.”

Tyrese Campbell could end up being shrewd Sheffield United addition

As Jimmy notes, Campbell does not have the most blistering goal record, but he's still young, and he has extensive experience at this level.

While signing the 24-year-old to come as the primary striker would seem fairly unambitious for a side that should be targeting automatic promotion, adding him as a support for the attacking unit is a strong move.

In a good season, Campbell will be knocking on the door of double figures in the goalscoring charts. If he can reproduce that this season without shouldering the whole burden for attacking output, then those goals could be the difference between success and failure for the Blades.

As Jimmy says, on a free transfer, Campbell could be a smart addition at a cheap price, with years still ahead of him to develop. Time will tell just how smart the decision-makers at United have been.