If Sheffield United sign Patrick Bamford - these 2 players could leave Bramall Lane in January | OneFootball

We looked at two players who could leave Sheffield United in January if the club complete a deal for former Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford.

As their nightmare season in the Championship continues, Sheffield United could be set to turn to free agent striker Patrick Bamford in an attempt to fix their goalscoring problems.

After losing all of their first five league games of the season, Sheffield United parted company with head coach Ruben Selles in September and made the shock decision to bring Chris Wilder back to the club, less than three months after his controversial summer dismissal.

However, while there has been a slight improvement under Wilder, the 58-year-old has not quite made the impact he would have hoped for, winning just three of his 10 games in charge so far, and the Blades are still languishing in the relegation zone, three points from safety.

With just 11 league goals to their name so far this season, United are the lowest scorers in the Championship, but it seems Wilder could be set to enter the free agent market to cure his side's goalscoring woes, with reports suggesting the club are in talks with former Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford over a possible short-term deal.

Bamford scored 60 goals in 205 games during a successful seven-year spell at Leeds prior to his release this summer, but despite being linked with Championship trio Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Wrexham and La Liga side Getafe in recent weeks, he remains without a club almost three months on from his Elland Road exit, and he has recently been training with Coventry City to help maintain his fitness.

However, it appears Bamford could now be handed a lifeline by the Blades, and we looked at two players who could leave Bramall Lane in January if the club were to sign the former England international.

Tom Cannon

Striker Tom Cannon was the subject of widespread Championship interest in January, but Sheffield United won the race for his services in what looked like a major coup for the club.

The Blades paid Leicester City a reported £10 million for Cannon, and the deal was viewed as a real statement of intent from new owners COH Sports, who had completed their takeover the previous month.

Cannon had scored 11 goals in 25 appearances during his loan spell at Stoke City in the first half of the season, so with United firmly in automatic promotion contention, they had every reason to believe he could be the missing piece of the puzzle needed to fire them to the Premier League.

However, it did not work out that way as Cannon scored just one goal in 17 games in the second half of last season, and his poor form has continued into this campaign, with the 22-year-old failing to find the back of the net in 13 appearances so far.

It seems Wilder has not been particularly impressed by Cannon, with the striker starting just two league games since his return to the club, and he was even left out of the matchday squad altogether for the recent home defeat to Derby County.

Bamford's arrival would surely push Cannon even further down the pecking order, and given the frustrating first year he has endured at Bramall Lane, his exit in January could be the right move for all parties.

Ryan One

Striker Ryan One joined Sheffield United from Scottish side Hamilton Academical in September 2023, and he has been involved in the first-team squad over the past two years.

One has shown plenty of glimpses of his potential during his time with the Blades, but it is fair to say he has not been a prolific scorer, with the 19-year-old scoring just one goal in 22 appearances for the club so far.

As United were looking to lower the age of their squad in the summer, it seemed as though a big season was ahead for One, and he was used regularly by Selles in the early weeks of the campaign, but he has found his game time much more limited under Wilder.

In fact, One has made just two substitute appearances since Wilder's return, often failing to even make the bench, and with a potential relegation battle ahead for United as their season continues to falter, it looks unlikely his fortunes will change any time soon, particularly if Bamford was to sign and increase the competition for places in the forward areas.

One is still young, so you would assume that the Blades would be reluctant to sell him permanently just yet, but a loan move to a League One or Two club, or even a temporary return to his native Scotland, could be hugely beneficial for him at this stage of his career and enable him to gain valuable minutes.