Sheffield United set for transfer U-turn over defender who once cost £20m | OneFootball

Sheffield United are set to park their interest in Brighton and Hove Albion defender Adam Webster

Sheffield United's interest in Adam Webster has cooled, amid concerns over how long the 31-year-old may take to get up to speed, having not played since the final day of the 2024/25 campaign.

Webster is a free agent, following his departure from Brighton and Hove Albion at the end of his contract in the summer. It brought an end to a seven-year association with the Seagulls, who made him their club-record signing in 2019, spending £20 million to bring him in from Bristol City.

However, the veteran defender didn't play at all in the final year of his time on the south coast, following an ACL injury in pre-season ahead of the 2025/26 term. His most recent competitive appearance came against Tottenham Hotspur in May 2025.

Sheffield United make Adam Webster U-turn amid worries over free agent's fitness

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Over a week ago, it was revealed that Sheffield United, who have been in the market for defensive options all summer, were hopeful of bringing Webster to Bramall Lane, and the 31-year-old had even been present at the Blades' Shirecliffe training ground as a move seemed to be closing in.

However, in an update on Monday, the Sheffield Star stated that the Blades are considering other options in the market due to concerns surrounding how quickly Webster could get up to speed.

The 31-year-old not only hasn't played competitively in over a year, but he hasn't had a pre-season this summer, too. Sheffield United are hoping to bring in someone who could make an immediate impact in the squad, and there are worries that Webster won't be able to.

Chris Wilder is now looking elsewhere for defender reinforcement. Japhet Tanganga, Mark McGuinness and Jamal Baptiste remain as options, with Rhys Norrington-Davies able to deputise there if needed, too.

The Blades' attempts to bring in Harry Souttar and Joe Worrall have fallen short, with both linked with moves to Wrexham, while Burnley beat them to the signing of their former centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic.

How Sheffield United fans reacted to Adam Webster links when they first broke

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Sheffield United fans were near-apathetic to the possibility of signing Webster this summer when the news first broke of their interest a couple of weeks ago.

Many were under the impression that he'd be a solid defender for the level still, despite his age and recent injury record, but it came with the caveat of keeping him fit, which they weren't confident their side could do.

"Fits the bill ...always injured and not played much football over the last few seasons," one rather pessimistic fan said.

"Classic “if we can keep him fit” Blades signing. Unfortunately, we’re pretty awful at keeping players fit," another said, while a third added, "Solid defender if we keep him fit."

Ultimately, Sheffield United will need centre-backs whom they can be sure can play a big role in their side this season.

Webster only managed 15 and 14 Premier League appearances, respectively, in his final two campaigns before injury struck last summer, so the odds of that record vanishing at Bramall Lane with no pre-season under his belt, too, seem pretty slim.

Sheffield United are running out of time to bolster their backline

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It seemed at the start of pre-season that a centre-back was the major point of improvement for Chris Wilder this summer.

Ben Mee retired, Tyler Bindon's loan spell ended, and it seemed that Nils Zatterstrom and Mark McGuinness weren't in the Blades boss' plans for the new campaign.

Zatterstrom still seems to be out of the running for senior minutes at Bramall Lane this season, but McGuinness has been given somewhat of a reprieve in the Sheffield United fold, playing every minute of their five games in all competitions so far.

But with Baptiste as the only recognised centre-back in reserve, who has made just four Blades appearances and, last year, was on loan at Rotherham United, more depth and strength in that depth is definitely needed before the window closes on Tuesday night.

With Webster being a free agent, there could be the possibility that he joins after the deadline, but Sheffield United need those reinforcements who can immediately come in and play games, and they're running out of time to get them in.