Chris Wilder now has big Sheffield United promotion advantage - 2026/27 could be seriously exciting | OneFootball

Sheffield United's play-off chances look to have all but disappeared for this season. However, planning can now start for 2026/27.

Sheffield United were beaten 2-1 by Norwich City on Wednesday evening at Carrow Road, with the Canaries' impressive rise under Philippe Clement halting their opponent's hopes of finishing in the Championship play-offs.

The Blades are still eight points behind sixth-place Wrexham in the second tier, after the Red Dragons lost 2-1 to Hull City on Tuesday, and their chances of chasing down the Welsh side are starting to lessen with there just nine games to go until the 2025/26 campaign comes to an end.

It has been a really tough season for the South Yorkshire side compared to what they have been used to in recent years, and their incredibly disappointing start to the campaign has left them with their chances of a top six finish looking extremely slim.

Nevertheless, this could prove to be the ideal situation for Sheffield United, and while this season has proven to be somewhat of a write-off with just under two months to go until the curtain closer, Chris Wilder may just have one eye on the future.

Sheffield United may already be preparing for a promotion push in 2026/27

After the heartbreak of last season's play-off final defeat, the hangover proved to be too much for the Blades to handle and they found themselves rooted to the bottom of the table after a 5-0 defeat to Ipswich Town in September. It was a loss that saw Ruben Selles sacked, and Wilder brought back, just months after he left S2.

Nevertheless, an inconsistent return saw Sheffield United struggle until the end of November when they finally started to pick up points and a run of four straight wins saw the team rise out of the bottom three and towards mid-table for the first time in 2025/26.

Yet, during that poor start, the gap to those in the play-off places grew exponentially, and while Wilder has brought stability back to Bramall Lane, his side are still a world away from those challenging towards the top right now and, therefore, his team's season could be all but over already.

Despite this, he has everything in place to make that push next season. The teams coming down from the Premier League will be strong, but the former Middlesbrough boss has a superb knowledge of the second tier and what it takes to challenge for an automatic promotion place. Therefore, it is vital that he is backed in the summer transfer window, and he can improve in the areas where the Blades lack quality.

Realistically, Wolves and Burnley will be preparing for the Championship next season already, but many others are dreaming of playing at Premier League level next season and will be focused on the here and now. The luxury the Blades' position gives them is that they can join the top-flight's bottom two clubs in looking ahead to how they can storm the second-tier next year.

Sheffield United are in a false position since Chris Wilder arrived

Sheffield United are 13th in the Championship, and if they finish in this position when the season comes to an end, it would be their lowest league finish since they won the League One title under Wilder in the 2016/17 campaign.

Their supporters have known a relatively strong period of success, and although it seems unlikely like they will continue that, they are set up well for 2026/27. Since their head coach returned to S2, the Blades have been the seventh-best side in the division, and with fewer defeats, they would easily be competing for the top six.

Only five other teams have won more games in this time than Sheffield United, and they are the current top five in the Championship. Therefore, all signs point towards success next season if Wilder can continue this winning formula.

A hard reset is still needed, but few managers in the second tier have more nous than the 58-year-old, and maybe failing to finish in the top six is a blessing in disguise, particularly this early in the campaign.

All eyes can shift to the summer and making sure that 2026/27 begins in contrasting fashion to the current campaign. If it does, there's no reason why Sheffield United can't be gracing the Premier League again very soon.