Sheffield United will be hoping to avoid deadline day deals like 2009 agreement: View | OneFootball

The Jordan Stewart, Lee Hendrie deadline day swap deal is one that Leeds fans will want to forget.

Key Takeaways

Swap deals often benefit one side more than the other but Sheffield United's 2009 acquisition of Jordan Stewart from Derby County was a remarkably poor agreement for both sides.

The transfer saw Lee Hendrie go the other way and neither player lived up to their expectations.

Hendrie, a once firm Premier League campaigner, did not hit the heights he had set at Aston Villa earlier in his career.

Meanwhile, it was a similar story for Stewart, who, in 23 games for the club, struggled to earn a place in the side.

As deadline day approaches, this deal serves as a strong reminder to the Blades to avoid hasty decisions, ensuring that any new signings will be genuinely beneficial to the club's future.

Stewart and Hendrie deal a disaster for the Blades

While Stewart was not at the height of his career when he joined the Blades, his multiple Premier League and Championship appearances to date suggested that he would be an astute signing.

At 27 years old, it seemed that they would be getting the better of the deal, with the 32-year-old Hendrie departing Bramall Lane for County.

In addition, at-the-time boss Kevin Blackwell seemed happy with the financial side of the deal, stating to the BBC: "It's an opportunity for Lee to get some football and allows us to make a saving on wages."

All seemed well then, with the financial and player side of the deal all making sense.

Quickly though, it became apparent that Blackwell didn't deem Stewart good enough for a starting spot.

After making his debut in a 3-2 defeat to Coventry City, the defender would predominantly be used as a substitute or defensive cover in the backline, never able to nail a place down.

This was most evident during his best run of the season, which spanned a minimal five fixtures in March 2010. However, this brief resurgence was quickly followed by his appearance in just one of the final seven games, and he was entirely absent from the matchday squad for the last five matches.

In general, it was an underwhelming year for a player who arrived with a Premier League pedigree. He finished his time at the Blades having accrued just 1,389 minutes across 23 games.

This lack of inclusion saw him released from his contract after just a year and he joined up with Greek side Skoda Xanthi looking to revive his career.

Kevin Blackwell wasn't interested in Stewart

Whilst Stewart didn't live up to expectations, looking back it seems that Blackwell had very little interest in giving the defender a starting role.

Speaking about the former Leicester City man when he signed, Blackwell said: "Jordan will give us cover at left-back but he can also play wide on the left."

Seemingly, the manager never perceived Stewart as good enough for his side, and years later it came out that not many of that Sheffield United squad enjoyed playing under him.

Speaking in 2020, the former Rams full-back said this about Blackwell: "I think he could rub people up the wrong way with the things that he did.

“At half-time he’d come in and start yelling at people. It was more angry than constructive and normally that would involve confrontation with a player.

“But with me personally I didn’t have any issues.”

Stewart’s lack of "issues" with Blackwell likely stems from his limited time on the pitch. In contrast, players who were more heavily involved, such as Michael Tonge, often had disagreements with the former Blades manager, ultimately leading to the midfielder's departure from Bramall Lane prior to Stewart's arrival.

This 2009 deadline-day deal with Derby remains a glaring misstep on the Blades' behalf, and they must ensure they don’t repeat such errors as the current window draws to a close.