Definitely goals here for James Hanson, predicts Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder

The striker is set to be officially announced as a United player today, with the 29-year-old putting the finishing touches to his move from Bradford City.

The Bramall Lane outfit agreed a deal with the Bantams worth over £200,000 with add-ons.

Barring any last-minute hitches, Hanson is likely to be registered ahead of the noon deadline to enable him to be involved in tonight’s League One home game with Fleetwood Town, when victory would move Wilder’s side five points clear at the summit.

National League Guiseley, who sold Hanson to Bradford for £7,500 in 2009, are entitled to a 25 per cent share of the fee as a sell-on clause once the forward completes his move.

Hanson is expected to sign a deal with the Blades until the summer of 2019.

Wilder believes that Hanson, City’s third-highest all-time scorer with 91 goals from 335 appearances, would add big-game experience and physical attributes alongside goalscoring ability for the Blades, whose forward department has been heavily over-reliant on the input of 18-goal Billy Sharp so far in 2016-17.

Once concluded, the deal would represent the second significant transfer deal between Yorkshire clubs so far this month, with Sam Winnall moving from Barnsley to Sheffield Wednesday in early January.

Meanwhile, the arrival of Jay O’Shea is set to augment further Wilder’s options, with the Chesterfield midfielder expected to join on loan for the rest of the season after being alerted to the Blades’ interest.

On what Hanson would offer, Wilder, critical of his side’s lack of cutting edge in the weekend draw with Gillingham, said: “Because of his age and upbringing and coming into the game late, I look at him as being 25 or 26 rather than 29.

“He has been at the centre of Bradford City’s promotion (in 2012-13) and their cup exploits and he would give us something different that can help us overcome situations we are likely to face between now and the end of the season.

“There would definitely be goals for him here if we get it into the right areas.

“We will be delighted to get James in. He has been a big player for Bradford City and played in pressure games.

“He has played and battered some big centre-halves.

“If you ask other managers in this division, regarding players of his ilk who they would not like to play against, he would certainly be up there.

“We would not just smash long balls up to him. There is a lot more to his game than that and what some people think because of his size.”

Wilder believes that the time is right for Hanson, in his eighth season with Bradford, to test himself elsewhere, with the big striker having struggled to make an impact during Stuart McCall’s second spell as Bradford’s manager.

This did not stop Hanson receiving interest from Championship clubs, alongside the Blades.

Wilder added: “I think he would enjoy it here and that is the right time for him.

“If you ask him, he will have loved his time at Bradford. It is a great football club and one that I know pretty well.

“Bradford might have needed a change and the contract situation was what it was. That was not our problem.

“The window is what it is, we work within a budget. We are not in a situation where we spend £500,000 or £750,000 on a centre-forward from this division.

“I think he will have seen us play and the stats that we have.

“I said what I said on Saturday not to appease people, but because that is how I manage. We have to finish teams off. That’s part and parcel of the game.

“Short-term, he (Hanson) would offer us something. Medium- and long-term too, no matter what happens later this year and what division we end up in.

“He is relatively young in terms of league appearances and he can get even better too.

“I am not taking a wrecking ball to what we have done. But for me, when we have played well and worked hard, we should get getting our rewards.

“If we do not, then we will turn good positions into ones we do not want to be in.”

In a statement, Bradford said accepting the Blades’ offer was a “difficult decision”, although Hanson’s departure would free up funds that City say will be used to bring in replacement strikers.

Chemnitzer forward Anton Fink, the current top scorer in Germany’s third tier with 11 goals in 15 games, is one leading target, with City also linked with Carlisle United’s 17-goal striker Charlie Wyke.

Last six games: Sheffield United WWWWLD Fleetwood WWDWLW.

Referee: R Jones (Merseyside).

Last time: Sheffield United 3 Fleetwood 0; October 20, 2015; League One.