The Accountant: looking through the window

Darren Smith looks at Championship spending trends and the Blades' transfer strategy

Words: Darren Smith

Soon after that proud but ultimately unsuccessful night in the play-off semi-final at the City Ground, fans began to fear the worst. With talk all about balancing the books, payday loans, legacy debt from relegation, reduced parachute payments and a club for sale (remember that?), it seemed inevitable that the departure of a key player or two would be the story of this window. How could the Blades compete for promotion on a reduced budget? 

Fast forward a few months. You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief in the red half of Sheffield as the clock ticked over to 11.01 pm on Thursday. Sander Berge remained a Sheffield United player. 

So here we are after the dust on another gossip-laden window has settled. For all the talk, it turns out we have been net spenders. We did our business early, we signed players on permanent deals, not just loans, we signed proven names, and we even gave the lads, both old and new, a decent kit to play in. 

Okay, so compared to the windows after promotion to the top flight that included a combined spending spree of over £100m, our current net outlay of £3m appears relatively modest. But most sensible Blades recognise that circumstances have changed. That would be the case for any club post relegation and particularly as finances still recover for all clubs post Covid.

Clubs like us

Some probably questioned why our only fee-paying transfer acquired a young centre back fresh from a failed relegation scrap in Ligue 1. Few, if any, do now. Anel Ahmedhodžić has made an immediate impact. And perhaps this also helps win a few people around to the concept that a "sustainable model" is less tight-fistedness and more a focus on investing in scouting and signing unproven players with potential. 

Sheffield United @SheffieldUnited

An impressive start. 👏 Our new Bosnian defender, Anel Ahmedhodžić, with a 'Man of the Match' debut performance. 🇧🇦

At our level, short-term success with long-term planning is the key. We saw this very clearly last season with the addition of MGW. We also saw it with Forest, who built their success on temporary deals and loans from the Premier League. This can be the difference in securing quality players who, let’s be honest, clubs like us cannot possibly afford on long-term deals.