2M564T2 Sheffield, England, 26th December 2022. Paul Heckingbottom manager of Sheffield Utd shouts instructions during the Sky Bet Championship match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Picture credit should read: Andrew Yates / Sportimage Credit: Sportimage/Alamy Live News
Blades handed financial warning despite promotion
Boss Paul Heckingbottom has insisted that preserving Sheffield United’s off-field health is just as important as making any progress on it this summer, amid ongoing speculation about the future ownership of the Premier League-bound Blades.
Owner Prince Abdullah has made no secret of his desire to move the club on this summer and although it is understood that reports over the weekend of ‘advanced talks’ with a Saudi consortium over an £140m sale are premature, there is definite interest in the Blades from a host of would-be owners in different parts of the world.
Any prospective deal would face a race against time to be approved before the start of the Premier League season, with the top flight’s owners’ and directors’ test currently more stringent than its EFL equivalent which Dozy Mmobuosi, the Nigerian businessman who struck a deal with Prince Abdullah late last year, struggled to satisfy.
As a result United are working to a modest budget for permanent signings this summer, of around £20m, with heavy emphasis set to be placed on loans and free transfers as Heckingbottom looks to assemble a squad capable of competing in the top-flight when the new campaign begins at home to Crystal Palace on August 12.
“First and foremost, rather than thinking about where we want to finish in the league, it’s about doing our work now,” Heckingbottom admitted. “Every day is important and every minute of every day in where we stand now in working as hard as we can to get as competitive a squad as we can.
