Exclusive: Brian Deane drops claim on Gus Hamer's Sheffield United future | OneFootball

Brian Deane has discussed Sheffield United's tragic start to the season

Sheffield United have started the 2025/26 campaign in disastrous fashion.

The Blades have lost the first five games of a Football League campaign for just the second time in their history and currently sit bottom of the Championship table.

Ruben Selles has been relieved of his managerial duties after less than three months in charge, which paved the way for Chris Wilder to make another return to the home dugout at Bramall Lane.

Wilder was sacked by the Steel City side last term after failing to secure a return to the Premier League, despite making United just the second side in Championship history to record 90 points but not achieve automatic promotion.

One of the Blades’ major downfalls this campaign has been the lack of quality shown from their most talented operators.

A shining example is Gus Hamer, who was crowned Championship Player of the Season last term for his sensational displays. The 28-year-old hasn't registered a league goal or assist in five outings, after 18 goal involvements last year (10 goals, eight assists).

Hamer was linked repeatedly with a move away from Bramall Lane this summer, with Leeds United and PSV both rumoured to hold a strong interest in his services.

However, a transfer didn't materialise and he ultimately remained with his current employers.

That said, if Hamer and United continue to perform poorly, they both may look for an exit in the January transfer window.

Brian Deane scored a total of 121 goals for Sheffield United across three stints and is a certified club legend, so he knows what it takes to succeed at Bramall Lane.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World via the top football odds site. Deane revealed whether he believes Hamer will remain a Blades player for the entirety of this season.

Brian Deane weighs in on Gus Hamer’s Sheffield United future

Football - Stock Season 92/93 Mandatory Credit:Action Images/Nick Potts Brian Deane - Sheffield United

“There are many reasons why the likes of Gus Hamer might be leaving the club in January,” stated Deane. “We've seen historically that if you have a player like that who's playing well in the Championship, the owners might want to cash in.

“But having said that, if they're not competing, then what makes you think that somebody would want to come in and take a chance?

“They've got a few outstanding players, I think Tyreese Campbell has performed well; he scored a good goal on the opening day of the season.

“But the biggest thing at the moment is confidence and if the players don't believe in the plan, then that's a major problem for the whole club.”

“A little bit naïve” - Brian Deane highlights importance of Vini Souza and Anel Ahmedhodžić to Sheffield United success

Despite their poor results during the opening stages of this season, a more concerning factor for Blades’ supporters will be the level of performance their side have put up.

Dominating the midfield battle was an area they previously excelled in, but this term, they have looked weak and unable to keep control of the game.

Their defence has been unorganised and the source of immense frustration for the fans at Bramall Lane, who have seen preventable goals scored against them on a regular basis.

Vini Souza and Anel Ahmedhodžić both left Sheffield United during the summer to join Wolfsburg and Feyenoord respectively, and their absence could be an explanation as to why the Steel City side have performed so poorly this term.

Deane certainly thinks so and highlighted why losing two players of such immense quality will be such a big blow to the Blades when talking exclusively to Football League World via the top football odds site 32red.

“I watched the first game and I was really surprised with the midfield,” admitted Deane.

“Three similar players, you had Callum O'Hare, Sydie Peck and Gustavo Hamer, and they're all smaller players, not too physical. They're all technically very good players, but I felt it was a little bit naive when I looked at Bristol City.

“Once they got past that midfield, it was really hard to stop them. They had plenty of legs and were breaking through the other side, and came out easy winners in the end, 4-1.

“Your midfield has got to be more balanced and if you’re going to play three in there, then you have to have players that are going to complement each other, not three players that do the same job or have the same qualities. I thought that was a little bit naive.

“But I'm not even sure what they have in terms of options. They've lost the big centre-back Anel Ahmedhodžić and they've lost Vini Souza as well, so you don't have that physicality in there.

“You can't rely on the kind of one-touch, two-touch technical passing triangles in the Championship, you just won't get far because teams will stop you from doing that and end up all over you.”