Chris Wilder pleased Sheffield United's hard work paying off as he hopes to hang onto key players

Funds have been tight and signings slow during a transfer window where the club's hands have been tied by a proposed takeover waiting to be signed off.

But they have still attracted some high-quality players who had the chance to go elsewhere in the Championship, and things have accelerated in mid-August.

Loanees Alfie Gilchrist and Harry Souttar have been joined by free agent Tyrese Campell, and goalkeeper Michael Cooper and winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi watched Tuesday's 4-2 League Cup win over Wrexham ahead of proposed moves.

"We work as hard as anyone to get players over the line, it's not an open chequebook," said Wilder. "I appreciate the support I get from the board but we're not putting anyone at risk.

"We've deservedly been in the Premier League for three out of the six seasons so we have advantages in a way but we have to be smart in our recruitment and there is a limit.

"We have to work extremely hard to identify and then to persuade and pitch and then the last thing is the chief exec to do a deal with in line with how we run as a football club.

"It's not stupid o'clock where we go and get him and him and don't worry about it, a lot of things have to go into it. But I'm sure they'd say the same thing, (Callum) O'Hare, (Harrison) Burrows, Campbell and (Jamie) Shackleton all had options but they wanted to come here and see us as a positive club for the next stage of their careers. "

Having seen Will Osula join Newcastle United, Wilder is anxious not to lose any more key players with interest in the likes of Gustavo Hamer.

"There's speculation regarding a couple of players – that's always the difficulty when the window shuts after the season starts," he said.

"It provides uncertainty which is not good for coaches and managers. We want to keep the group together but we have some good players.

"The feel from inside and outside the club is that we're getting stronger and stronger with how the group is getting compiled with good characters and energy, which was a big thing we talked about.

"Every one of those players wanted to come and be part of a hopefully positive and interesting season."

Not that the improvements all have to come from outside.

Youngsters Sydie Peck, Harry Boyes, Owen Hampson and Louie Marsh made first competitive starts for the Blades on Tuesday, with Marsh scoring and midfielder Peck the best player on the pitch. Souttar also made a full debut.

Wilder has been delighted with how his youngsters responded.

"It's been really good work by the academy, we've made some smart signings pre-season but these boys are part of it and have been outstanding,” he said.

"Sydie in the middle of the park has been really good pre-season and I thought he was excellent (on Tuesday), Owen, Louie and Harry Boyes showed why they should be making their debuts.

"They're really good to work with and willing to learn. They weren’t easy debuts because of the nature of the game and Wrexham on a high, with a strong squad."