Sheffield United suffered transfer "miss" involving Oli McBurnie - Hull City may have hit the jackpot | OneFootball

Oli McBurnie returned to the Championship this summer with Hull City - but he was also linked with a Bramall Lane reunion

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…

There was plenty of intrigue across the summer transfer window as to where experienced striker Oli McBurnie would find himself at its conclusion.

The physical striker's exploits in the EFL have become well-documented over the past decade, earning a reputation as a potent Championship goalscorer during spells with Swansea City and Sheffield United.

After a disappointing end to his time at Bramall Lane following a previous club-record move from South Wales to South Yorkshire following the Blades' promotion under Chris Wilder in 2019, as the club were relegated with a major whimper in 2023/24, McBurnie opted to pursue a new experience, featuring on the continent for the first time in his career with Las Palmas of La Liga.

Unsurprisingly, given his aforementioned reputation, supporters of his former clubs and general onlookers of the EFL cast eyes on his performances for the Gran Canaria-based outfit, who also ended up suffering relegation to La Liga 2 at the end of last season.

It was then reported that the Scotland international had an escape route from his former employers, with a relegation clause making his services available on a free transfer.

Unsurprisingly, this sparked reported interest from second-tier clubs, none more so than his former employers. However, fast-forward to the first international break of the season, and those in S2, who have endured a nightmare start to the campaign under Ruben Selles, aren't exactly feeling the greatest sense of transfer regret when it comes to the 29-year-old after selling Kieffer Moore to Wrexham.

Sheffield United stance offered as Oli McBurnie has strong start to Hull City career under Sergej Jakirovic

As well as it being all change at Bramall Lane this summer following the club's agonising play-off final defeat, there was plenty of overhaul at Yorkshire rivals Hull City, who replaced the aforementioned Selles - following his dismissal - with Bosnian head coach, Sergej Jakirovic.

Days after the 48-year-old's appointment at the MKM Stadium, reports linking the Tigers with a move for McBurnie's services began to surface, before a long-standing transfer saga would emerge amid further links of a reunion at either the Blades or Swansea, on top of reported interest from Birmingham City.

Yet, despite the Tigers being under a transfer fee restriction, they were able to complete the signing of McBurnie on a free transfer on a three-year contract.

He has since made a steady start to life in East Yorkshire, scoring against Wrexham in the EFL Cup and a last-gasp winner in a 3-2 success over Oxford United on his home debut.

As a result, FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit, Jimmy of the Blades Ramble YouTube channel, understands why it could be viewed as a transfer miss given his previous connection with supporters, but remains satisfied with the current attacking options at United's disposal.

"There was a lot of talk over the summer of Oli McBurnie coming back, and we weren't against it at all," Jimmy told FLW.

"I think he'd have been a good addition to the squad.

"I think the difference was that Hull could offer him more in terms of starting games, and he's likely going to be their number one striker, whereas he'd certainly start off behind Tyrese Campbell at Sheffield United.

"I think it would be between him and Tom Cannon as to who would come off the bench and try and force their way in.

"He's a different player to Kieffer Moore," Jimmy stated.

"He'd certainly offer us something different. He's really good at holding the ball up, and he's underrated with his feet.

"You could class it as a miss. But, that would also, sort of, understate how happy we are with the signing of Danny Ings.

"He's a very different player to Oli McBurnie, but quite close to a Billy Sharp-type player is Danny Ings.

"All the best to Oli McBurnie. He was great for us, a fantastic character. But, I'm happy with our strikers at the moment, in all fairness."

Oli McBurnie will not regret Hull City move as Sheffield United add further attacking options

As Jimmy highlighted, it would have been an extremely sentimental move for McBurnie to return to Bramall Lane. However, at this stage in his career, the striker would hope to be playing week-in, week-out, and he is certainly doing just that in East Yorkshire.

His presence has been a welcome addition alongside experience in other areas of the squad, ironically which also comes from former Blades , John Egan and John Lundstram.

Jakirovic has also seen plenty of the aforementioned attributes which the striker possesses, as he has been able to bring the likes of Joel Ndala, Matt Crooks and Joe Gelhardt into play on several occasions, with his late winner against Oxford also showcasing the composure which Hull so often missed in front of goal last season.

There's no doubt that his character would have been a strong addition to the Bramall Lane dressing room, particularly after a disastrous start to the season. However, with United now adding Ings to their ranks, there is no guarantee that McBurnie would source an adequate number of minutes, especially when having to also compete with Cannon, who the Blades invested a significant sum of money in back in January.