'Not good enough': Sheffield United boss Ruben Selles makes candid admission regarding recruitment so far
RUBEN Selles is happy to take his share of the blame for a summer window which, in his own candid words, has not been good enough so far in terms of inward recruitment.
A testing start to the season, which has yielded successive defeats in the Championship and EFL Cup, has exposed the deficiencies in the Blades squad, particularly in terms of seasoned second-tier experience.
Selles is not expecting any new arrivals in time to feature in the weekend game at Swansea City, heightening the pressure on United to make progress in the final couple of weeks of the window.
So far, United have brought in two young loanees from the Premier League in Louie Barry and Tyler Bindon alongside Senegalese midfielder Djibril Soumare.
The only permanent signings sanctioned up to press this summer have been via the club owners COH Sports’ much-discussed artificial intelligence-led recruitment strategy.
One in the shape of winger Ehije Ukaki made his competitive debut in the EFL Cup exit at Birmingham City.
Another newcomer, Mihail Polendakov, is still getting up to speed with the under-21s.
Selles, who handed a debut to Lithuanian defender Dovydas Sasnauskas at St Andrew’s, candidly acknowledged: “I think our process has not been good enough (so far), I think that is obvious.
“At the beginning of the market, we talked about reinforcement with three players. Now with Anel (Ahmedhodzic) and Kieffer (Moore) gone, it’s five players.
“We have not been able to bring anybody else for (because of) different circumstances and on that, everyone has a part of it and I will accept my part of it.
“We are not going to make excuses, but focus on what we can do.
“We know the players who can go on Saturday and make a difference.
“I have a task to do and have been in situations worse than this one. I won’t be feeling sorry for myself, it is what it is.”
For Selles, the need to bring in Championship ready recruits as opposed to development players is imperative in United’s final fortnight of window business, alongside not losing any more senior leading players.
He continued: “Absolutely. We have lost a lot of experience in the level and need to replace that.
“If there is a room for a young, talented player, we will need to analyse the situation.
“But the main thing is to get players who can make an immediate impact and support the players already in the building.”
United report no fresh injury concerns for the trip to the Principality, with Ollie Arblaster, Jamie Shackleton and Tom Davies remaining sidelined.