Sheffield United player exit confirmed - Lincoln, Cardiff City & Charlton Athletic should look at £0 swoop | OneFootball

Three EFL clubs should be taking a punt on an injury-troubled Sheffield United player who is set to exit Bramall Lane

Sheffield United have confirmed that Tom Davies will leave Bramall Lane this summer after three years with the club.

The former Everton midfielder joined the Blades in the summer of 2023, following their promotion to the Premier League under Paul Heckingbottom.

However, the 27-year-old has endured a lack of game time for the South Yorkshire outfit, courtesy of injury problems.

The man who is set to leave Sheffield United could still be a strong asset elsewhere, though, provided any suitor in the free transfer market can keep him fit.

Football League World has taken a look at three clubs who should pounce at the opportunity to sign the ex-England youth international on a free transfer.

Lincoln City

Michael Skubala's Lincoln City have captured the imagination of the footballing nation by winning promotion to the second tier, despite their relative lack of resources compared to their divisional rivals.

As per The Telegraph, the Imps have the seventh-lowest budget in League One this term, but that didn't stop them from booking their place in next season's Championship with five games to spare - it's going to be their first time at the level since 1961.

Despite Lincoln's excellence this campaign, there are doubts over whether the likes of Conor McGrandles and Tom Bayliss can perform in the second tier, with the latter having made little impact at Preston North End following his move from Coventry City in 2019.

In contrast, fellow midfielder Davies has plenty of Premier League experience, thanks to his days at Goodisn Park.

Davies' wages may prove to be a stumbling block for the Imps, but the fact that they wouldn't have to spend a transfer fee on the 27-year-old makes matters easier for a club who need to ready their squad for a Championship survival battle.

Cardiff City

Cardiff City are the favourites to clinch promotion from League One to the Championship alongside Lincoln, and will also have to strengthen their ranks this summer.

Unlike the Imps, the Bluebirds began the third-tier campaign with seemingly realistic aspirations of landing a top-two spot, but will likely lose out to Skubala's side in the title race.

The most impressive aspect of Cardiff's promotion-chasing efforts is that they have been able to rely on several young academy graduates, such as Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio.

However, Brian Barry-Murphy knows that, in order to avoid an unwanted League One return, he must add experience to his squad this summer.

Davies has experience in abundance, and can provide strong competition for the likes of Ryan Wintle and Alex Robertson as a more proven option at second tier level.

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Nathan Jones' Charlton Athletic should be able to avoid relegation to League One, and could still overtake Davies' current club, Sheffield United, in the Championship table.

The Addicks will be determined to enjoy a more comfortable second-tier campaign next term, and acquiring the former Everton man on a free transfer could help them do just that.

Thanks to his aforementioned fitness issues, Davies has been unable to prove his quality in Blades colours as regularly as he would have liked.

However, the fact that he made 179 appearances for Everton, which, of course, predominantly came in the Premier League, proves that he should be able to shine in the Championship.

If Charlton sign Davies and can keep him fit, he can challenge players such as Greg Docherty and Conor Coventry for a regular spot in Jones' starting 11 - the injury curse surrounding Davies though is an important one to navigate.