Future of Pemberton still unclear as Winter exits Blades

SHEFFIELD United’s off-field turmoil continued yesterday with the departure of the club’s chief executive and confusion surrounding the position of highly-rated academy director John Pemberton.

The cash-strapped League One club announced Julian Winter, a former player on the books of both the Blades and Huddersfield Town, had left as chief executive after just under a year in the job.

United said more changes are to be announced shortly, but a spokesman could add nothing on the future of Pemberton who led the club’s youngsters to the Blades’ first FA Youth Cup final appearance last year.

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Pemberton, who played for the Blades in the early 1990s, appeared to be on the verge of joining Sean O’Driscoll’s backroom staff at Nottingham Forest over the weekend but a spokesman at the City Ground confirmed he had not made the move.

However, it is understood Pemberton, who enjoys a good personal relationship with O’Driscoll, is on Forest’s radar. Pemberton was caretaker manager at the City Ground in 2008 having enjoyed a successful spell as Forest’s reserve team coach.

United said the club had nothing to add to a statement issued on Friday night which said the Blades were aware of the speculation surrounding Pemberton and the board were “in consultation regarding this matter”.

In August, Pemberton appeared to commit his future to United after turning down the chance to manage League One newcomers Crawley Town. At the time he made plain his loyalty to the Blades and stayed at the helm of the club’s academy, now regarded as one of the best in the country.

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It is unknown whether off-field cost-cutting has since influenced Pemberton though it is understood United have ring-fenced the academy to safeguard its status.

More than 20 jobs have gone at Bramall Lane in the last month – including the head of communications, Richard Batho, it emerged yesterday.

The club are struggling to cope with the financial fallout from failure to gain immediate promotion back to the Championship and were forced to offload star midfielder Stephen Quinn to Hull City on transfer deadline day.

Quinn’s departure followed the sale of Matthew Lowton to Aston Villa in the summer and failure to agree new terms with key midfielder Lee Williamson.

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Winter declined to comment on his own departure though it is understood it was amicable and the chief executive may have accepted the club was top-heavy with senior executives given the scale of cuts instituted by club owner Kevin McCabe.

In a club statement McCabe said: “I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Julian for all his efforts and dedication whilst serving the Blades.”

The statement added: “United are in the process of reviewing operational structures at both Sheffield United Plc and the football club.”

In the meantime, it remains unclear who will run United on a day-to-day basis though Nigerian investment banker Jacob Esan, who is involved in ambitious attempts to bring in new investment from the African country, yesterday ruled himself out of the role.