Is Will Osula the answer to the Reda Khadra gap?
Yes, he'll probably go back out on loan, but there are worse replacements, says our contributing editor
Words: David Taylor
I have sinusitis. I managed to make it through the whole Christmas break, surrounded by a cadre of ill relatives playing games of cough tennis across the room, without so much as a sniffle. My defences down, the lurgy finally caught hold in the new year, and has left me feeling more run-down than a Hillsborough paint job.
It surprises me that more players don’t succumb to winter bugs (Beattie flu notwithstanding), but it’s a happy situation for teams such as Sheffield United 2022/23, who would have struggled to field a first team before the World Cup had a bug made its way through the doors at Shirecliffe.
It’s encouraging, in a way, that the squad is back in a strong enough position that the imminent loss of Reda Khadra isn’t being met with the usual United-strength catastrophising. Khadra is undoubtedly a great talent: the rapid winger hasn’t been used in a system that plays to any of his strengths, meaning fans unfortunately haven’t seen the player in full flight. However, his class was a welcome boost on the bench, which leaves the first 16/18/20 (delete as bench-length appropriate) with a concerning gap.
Around the same time we heard of Khadra’s potential move to Birmingham (and a baffling approach from Bristol City by the manager who openly criticised Khadra earlier in the season), Will Osula was recalled from his season-long loan at Derby, with the clubs citing a lack of game time.
To paraphrase Osula’s Danish compatriot Hamlet: to be in the first team, or not to be – that’s the question. It seems likely the Danish U19 international will be going back out on loan to a team that will play him more regularly, but there’s a not-insignificant chance that he could remain around the first team at Bramall Lane. This is something that’s been recognised by Paul Heckingbottom, who has no qualms about Osula featuring in the first team. Due to league rules allowing players to play for only two clubs a season, if we see him step onto the pitch before the end of January, it’s as certain a sign that he’ll be staying as the fax machine breaking down at 10.59pm. If this were to occur, keeping the young striker for our second-half run-in would be no waste of time.
Five goals in 21 games doesn’t scream prolific, especially considering that three of them came against National League opposition in the FA Cup. However, if you look at the minutes he played for the Rams, you’ll see a series of frustrating numbers – he only made the starting 11 three times, coming on as a substitute during 13 of Derby’s league fixtures. Minutes were especially hard to come by from the start of November, with Osula facing competition for the one main forward position from club number 9 James Collins (7 goals so far) and current-era Zinedine Zidane, David McGoldrick (11 goals in all competitions).
The 19-year-old Osula proved in these mid-game cameos and rare starts that he could hold his own in the professional game, showcasing the physicality, pace and growing nous he provided flashes of in his five United appearances last season. It’s a shame that Paul Warne couldn’t find a consistent place in the side for Osula, especially after a promising start to the season and an existing relationship with Zinedave Zigoldrick, but a return to Bramall Lane with a renewed mixture of confidence and a keenness to take his game to the next level is a mentality the United squad would welcome.
Granted, the beginnings of strong form from Daniel Jebbison and the impending return of Oli ‘better-than-Mitrović’ McBurnie would mean Osula would start as United’s fourth-choice out-and-out striker (with Iliman Ndiaye playing in the second striker berth/wherever the hell he likes). Perhaps we’re in need of a player that offers a second role as an attacking midfielder, one that could rotate with McAtee and a more forward-minded Berge. However, with the new takeover bid seemingly more concrete than the financial adventures of a US TV mogul that nobody has ever met, options are limited to a loan, and even then without any fee. If a player with such parameters isn’t found, then we would be wise not to lament our squad strength if Osula sticks around for the run-in: unlike Hamlet, this young Dane has a bright future ahead of him.
David Taylor is a writer, editor and former captain of Whiston Parish Church Cricket Club U17s. His writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire and National Geographic Traveller, with broadcast work for BBC Radio 4 and Premier League Productions. A South Stand aficionado (or so he likes to think), David has been a DEM Blades editor since 2018 and is Contributing Editor of The Pinch.
Thanks, David - I've not seen enough of Osula to make a worthwhile comment, but looking at the few videos in your article, he seems to combine Ndiaye's trickery with the ball at his feet with Khadra's pace. However, unlike Khadra, he seems to know what to do when he gets in touching distance of the net . . . :)
Most definitely worth giving him a chance - home grown talent is always preferable in my mind.
Sue.