Sheffield United pulled a blinder with £0 deal - 'he's widely underrated' | OneFootball

FLW's Blades fan pundit discusses John Fleck's influence at Bramall Lane

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...

John Fleck is one of football's best bargains, and for Sheffield United fans, is one of the biggest unsung heroes of their rise from League One to the Premier League.

The Scotsman joined Sheffield United on a free transfer in 2016, and spent eight years at Bramall Lane, earning three separate promotions and making over 278 appearances.

Having spent his time since he left Rangers at Coventry City before his move to the Blades, Fleck hadn't even played in the Championship until he joined Chris Wilder's side, but as the squad progressed up the divisions and improved in quality, the midfield maestro kept pace, and was a big part of the side who finished 9th in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.

Jimmy, the host of the Blades Ramble and FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit, was asked about Fleck's impact at the club, and he couldn't run out of superlatives to describe the 34-year-old.

Sheffield United fan pundit praises John Fleck's Blades career

Jimmy was quick to praise Fleck for everything he did at Bramall Lane, and he still can't believe that Sheffield United were able to get him on a free!

The Blades brought in a few important players for nothing in the summer of 2016, such as Dean Hammond, Danny Lafferty and Mark Duffy, but out of all of them, Fleck was the one who would survive the rapid rise up the divisions from the third tier to the top flight.

"John Fleck was a brilliant signing for Sheffield United," Jimmy said. "To say we got him in League One for free...

"He was one of those players, who came in on a free, as did many others, Mark Duffy was another one, but Fleck came into the side and progressed with us, so as the club improved, so did he as a player.

"It got to the point where he was scoring goals against Arsenal in the Premier League, and he didn't look out of place. He was a fantastic player, and gave us that balance in the midfield with his cultured left foot."

In fact, Fleck's most productive scoring season came in that 2019/20 top flight campaign, where he netted five times. He scored against both Arsenal and Manchester United that year, and he netted both in his side's 2-0 win over Aston Villa that December.

The fact he was able to take on more and more responsibility in the middle of the park as the Blades climbed up the division made him a fan favourite, and one Jimmy and the rest of the Sheffield United fans won't forget.

"He'll always be fondly remembered by Sheffield United fans, but I also think he's widely underrated as a player overall," Jimmy concluded.

"So yeah, nothing but brilliant words for Flecky — a Sheffield United modern-day legend."

Sheffield United will always fondly remember their 2019 promotion team

After Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League in 2007, they spent the same amount of time time in League One than they did in the Championship, falling on three seperate occasions in the third tier play-offs before finally winning the 2016/17 title.

Fleck tallied an absurd 17 assists that season, showing he was definitely ready for Championship football, but not many would have predicted that the rise back to the top flight would have taken just two second tier campaigns.

Chris Wilder and his squad took Blades fans on a journey they'll never forget in the late 2010s, culminating in a top half finish in their first season back in the top flight in 13 years.

Everyone who was part of that Premier League squad is heralded as a hero in the red side of South Yorkshire, even more so if they helped the side achieve promotion the season prior, and definitely if they were part of the side who, two years before that, helped kickstart the journey with a centenary season in League One.