Crystal Palace v Sheffield United: Chris Wilder is happy to invest in future of Blades

Fellow promoted sides Aston Villa and Norwich City have had problems they urgently needed to fix to improve their chances of staying in the Premier League next season.

The Blades, by contrast, travel to Crystal Palace today three points and three places above the hosts, and with pretty much all their regulars performing to their potential.

For Chris Wilder, January has been more about improving for the future.

Even so, 21-year-old club record signing Sander Berge, 23-year-old Richairo Zivkovic and Panagiotis Retsos, who is also 21, have not been brought in just as long-term projects. The latter pair are only on loan until the rest of the season, even if all parties were talking about extending centre-forward Zivkovic’s stay the moment he put pen to paper, and about Retsos and the Blades having “a good look” at one another.

Jack Robinson and Jack Rodwell, 26 and 28 respectively, signed earlier in the window with plenty of experience of English football.

“They will be desperate to get into the team,” says Wilder.

“The two Jacks are experienced boys and we’ve brought them in to play positions they can excel in, Jack Rodwell at right centre-half or midfield and Jack Robinson as left centre-half or wing-back.

“We wouldn’t have signed them if we thought they couldn’t do a job for us, and who knows, if there are injuries, suspensions or loss of form, they’re in and it’s up to the others to remove them.

“They have got a huge desire to get into the team and play in the Premier League.

“We’re not buying players as projects, we’re building a squad to go well now and move forward. We’re putting all our resources in to be as good as we possibly can in the short- and medium-term.”

Nevertheless, being eighth in the Premier League has allowed the Blades to plan carefully. Berge was a summer target but it has taken until now for a £22m move to go through. Zivkovic is another they have been monitoring for a while.

“You have to be careful with rushing,” cautions Wilder.

“They have to fit in with the positions we’re looking for but there were no surprises to us, no last-minute ‘He’s become available so we need to act on that’.

“They fit the bill in terms of age, position, character and attitude.

“I’m sure they’ll integrate quickly because of the work we’ve already done on them and what type of personalities they are, it’s position-specific as well.

“I still think we’d have invested (had the club been in a relegation battle). It’s important we move forward regardless of the position we’re in and I do believe money would have been made available.

“If we were cut adrift then I’d advise the board to take certain action, I’m an advisor to them.

“The best thing we needed to do now was to invest while we’re strong.

“We came into the division with a perception that we’ve changed in terms of the way we play and what the football club is, and performance and results. That has put us in a stronger position.

“We’re more attractive now, which I totally understand. People wrote us off as relegation favourites and down by Christmas and all stuff like that which I accept, but the progression of the football club has changed that, and the media coverage we all get is huge. That makes it easier to attract better players as well, which we’re trying to do.”

Wilder has talked often this season about how those players who have come up through the divisions have raised their game in the Premier League, and he expects them to do so again.

“Players want to see better players coming in, we have to be mindful it’s a settled group but it’s not a Sunday league group that’s been together for the last five or 10 years and played week in, week out,” he says.

“We’re here to improve and have to move forward, they understand that. These signings will improve the current players too, it always has done.

“It isn’t a slight on the players but I just think the psyche of a player, when a new lad comes in, they want to show how good they are and if you’re coming for me I’m going a little bit more.

“The better, stronger players will survive and the rest won’t last the course.

“That won’t be an unbelievable failure on their part but that’s how you improve and every club that wants to progress has to have that ambition.

“I’ve got to make those decisions.

“I’m always trying to improve the club on every front.”

There also has to be some financial realism, which is why the likes of Callum Robinson (loaned to West Bromwich Albion), Richard Stearman (loaned to Huddersfield Town), Kean Bryan (loaned to Bolton Wanderers), Mark Duffy (loaned to Den Haag), Jake Dewhurst (who has joined Alfreton), Marc Dewhurst (loaned to Carlisle United) and Jake Wright (released yesterday) have left the squad this month.

“We have to make sure the books balance as well and the squad isn’t bloated with too many numbers, so you work hard to move other players on,” says Wilder.

“I’m very grateful for the support from the board and the trust they shown in me to spend club’s money wisely, which I’ve always done.”