Ollie Arblaster & Sydie Peck situations become clearer as Sheffield United meet key EFL deadline | OneFootball

Sheffield United and Chris Wilder have made a crucial decision on Sydie Peck and Ollie Arblaster.

Sheffield United bolstered their midfield ranks with plenty of new faces in January, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Joe Rothwell joining Ollie Arblaster and Sydie Peck.

In terms of incomings, Chris Wilder's side also added Leo Hjelde and Ki-Jana Hoever to their ranks on loan from the Premier League. Despite defeat to Middlesbrough on Monday, there is optimism at Bramall Lane about a strong end to 2025/26 for Sheffield United.

Arblaster and Peck started that night, but the competition for places has risen after signing 31-cap England international Phillips and Championship title winner Rothwell. It leaves Wilder with some big decisions to make for the remainder of the campaign.

Given the depth his side has in numerous areas, players are kept on their toes. The former Leeds United pair had mixed starts after their moves to South Yorkshire, with Phillips a huge part of the build-up for Patrick Bamford's goal and Rothwell seeing red late on from the bench.

Ollie Arblaster and Sydie Peck omitted from Sheffield United's 25-man squad

The Blades have five former Leeds players in their ranks, including Jamie Shackleton. However, per The Star, the utility man has been omitted from Sheffield United’s 25-man squad for the remaining 15 games of the Championship campaign.

The Blades boss confirmed the 26-year-old had encountered a fresh setback following a series of other injury and fitness concerns earlier this season. He has played just 15 games since his move to Bramall Lane.

Despite a bloated squad on paper, Sheffield United have managed to maintain most of their other first-team members in the squad, which does not have to include players born after January 1, 2004.

That is why the squad does not include midfielders Arblaster and Peck because they have been named on the U-21 list as they were both born after that date. It means they are available to play without having to occupy spots in the main squad.

Peck turns 22 in September, while Arblaster was born just one week after the cut-off point, meaning he has just turned 22. Neither player will fall into this bracket in next year's rules.

Sheffield United's outrageous midfield depth under Chris Wilder

Initially, some Blades fans may well have panicked about a falling out or a transfer situation after seeing the duo left out, with their age and potential almost certainly meaning they will have plenty of suitors higher up.

However, they are only going to benefit from the competition for the remainder of the season, with so many options to learn from but also to push them to maintain their form until May.

Wilder has Rothwell, Phillips, Arblaster, Peck, Alex Matos, Tom Davies, Jairo Reidewald, Djibril Soumare, and even Gus Hamer as options at the base of midfield in the current double-pivot set up.

Unless he moves away from a 4-2-3-1, it's likely he can only feature two of them at any given time. The positive is to have plenty of protection from injuries and not many clubs can boast more quality than Sheffield United in that area.