Sheffield United told to beat Derby County, Middlesbrough to 'cheeky little permanent deal' involving Rangers FC man | OneFootball

Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy believes the club would be making a shrewd signing if they bring in Joe Rothwell from Rangers in January.

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 have been urged to sign Joe Rothwell from Rangers in the January window as Chris Wilder looks to strengthen his squad.

The boyhood fan has improved the Blades since he returned to Bramall Lane for a third time, although the disappointing defeat at West Bromwich Albion on Friday night shows there is still a lot of work to do.

Therefore, the January window could be crucial, and Wilder has made no secret of the fact that he wants to bring in reinforcements, with reports claiming that Rothwell is a target.

It's also reported that the former Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers midfielder is on the radar of second-tier rivals in Derby County, Middlesbrough and Stoke City, meaning the Blades will face plenty of competition in the race to acquire his services.

Joe Rothwell would improve Sheffield United’s squad depth if he joins from Rangers

The 30-year-old only joined the Ibrox outfit in the summer, with Russell Martin, who had worked with Rothwell at Southampton, bringing him to the club.

However, Martin has since been sacked, with Danny Rohl taking over, and Rothwell has fallen out of favour at Rangers under the ex-Sheffield Wednesday chief.

So, a January deal isn’t expected to be difficult to conclude, and when quizzed by FLW about the prospect of Rothwell arriving at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy, from the Blades Ramble YouTube channel, explained why he thinks it would be a sensible addition.

“He’d be a smart signing for Sheffield United. We saw last season what he gave to Leeds United, he was a different option for them, a rotation player in the middle of the park, and that’s how he would come into the squad here as well.

“I think the drop off in our central midfield has been noticeable. The situation is that we’ve got Sydie Peck and Jairo Riedewald, who have formed a really good partnership, but unfortunately, Peck is injured. Ollie Arblaster is a proper star, he will be a real player, but he’s just returning from an injury that kept him out for a year, so we don’t want to rush him.

“Unfortunately, Tom Davies is never available, and then we’ve got Djibril Soumare and Alex Matos who just aren’t at the level. They’ve not had a lot of football, but they don’t appear to be anywhere near the level, and we look a lot weaker for it at the moment.

“So, bringing in someone like Rothwell, to be that legitimate third or fourth rotation option, would really strengthen us I think. I know he’s not having the best of seasons at Rangers, but we know the talent he has got, and a cheeky little permanent deal would be smart business.”

Joe Rothwell could make an instant impact at Sheffield United

Most would agree that this would be smart business for Sheffield United. Firstly, Rothwell should be available at a decent price considering Rangers will be keen to sell, so it should make sense financially.

Crucially, it’s a no-brainer in that Rothwell has proven himself in the Championship over the years, so there would be no fears about him adapting to the league.

Whilst Peck, Arblaster and Riedewald are all good players at this level, the latter is only on a short-term deal, Peck’s injured at the moment, and the talented Arblaster will need to be treated with caution considering his lay-off, which means they do need a midfielder.

A move for Rothwell appears to tick all the boxes, and you can imagine the likes of Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare would love to play alongside the former Leeds man who is excellent at passing the ball forward quickly.

Meanwhile, Rothwell clearly needs to leave Rangers for the sake of his career, as it’s a move that just hasn’t worked, so it will be interesting to see if this is finalised swiftly in the New Year.