How Sheffield United stole Bramall Lane icon for £42k - It involves Neil Warnock | OneFootball

When Sheffield United paid just £42,000 for goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, they didn't realise that they were getting arguably their greatest ever bargain.

When Sheffield United paid a bargain price for goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, they didn't realise that they were getting arguably the biggest bargain in their history, but Neil Warnock knew what he was doing.

In the summer of 2002, Sheffield United needed goalkeeping cover.

Their first-choice, long-standing custodian Simon Tracey, had picked up a pre-season injury and a replacement was needed if they were to have much chance of improving on their 13th-placed finish the season before.

But the Blades had a canny manager. Neil Warnock had been at the club for two and a half years by this time, and he knew exactly where he needed to go in order to get a replacement.

Neil Warnock raided his former club to hand Sheffield United a club legend

Paddy Kenny started his career in non-league football, supplementing his part-time wage at Bradford Park Avenue by working as an engineer. He had trials elsewhere, but it was Warnock who saw something in him while managing Bury in 1999, and who paid £10,000 to take him to Gigg Lane in March of that year.

When first-choice Dean Kiely was sold to Charlton at the end of the season, he became their first-choice goalkeeper.

Warnock knew what he was doing. He left Gigg Lane for Bramall Lane in December 1999, but it's clear that he never forgot the goalkeeper that he'd signed for Bury. After agreeing a three-month loan for the goalkeeper, Warnock complained about the amount that Bury had wanted for him, telling the BBC that, "I enquired about Paddy when we first arrived at Bramall Lane, but were then quoted around £300,000 to £400,000", but adding that, "we have already agreed a fee if we decide to take him after his loan spell is up".

Paddy Kenny turned out to be one of Sheffield United's biggest ever bargains

Sheffield United made the deal permanent when the three-month loan spell was up, and the cost was far less than the figures that Warnock had quoted when bringing him in on loan. £42,000, it turned out, was enough to make Paddy Kenny a Blade. The team finished third in the table that season, though they were beaten in the play-off final in Cardiff by Wolves.

United were promoted to the Premier League in 2006, though they only stayed there for one season. Kenny, in turn, would stay at Bramall Lane until 2010, racking up more than 300 appearances for them in all competitions. When he finally did leave, he played for Queens Park Rangers and Leeds United, finally ending his playing career back in the non-league game in 2017-18.

Kenny's playing career didn't always run smoothly. He struggled with his weight, wading to unkind jibes in the press, and his fitness became an increasing issue as he got older. Neil Warnock said of Kenny, "He's the sort of player people don't pay much attention to, but he's one of the first names on the team sheet because he's so reliable." He couldn't have been more right. Sheffield United got a lot of value for that £42,000.