Sheffield United hand Chris Wilder and backroom staff contract extensions
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has signed a new long-term contract which will keep him at Bramall Lane for a further three seasons.
Wilder's deal had been due to expire in the summer but now he has committed until 20228, along with his assistant Alan Knill and first team coach Matt Prestridge.
Or rather the Blades have committed to him, as there was little doubt about Wilder's willingness to stay at the club he supported, played for, and came back for a second spell as manager of in December 2023 with the Blades already seemingly doomed to Premier League relegation.
But having gone down, the squad has been revamped and regrouped, and are currently in one of the two automatic promotion places in the Championship
"Sheffield United is my club, and there is no place I'd rather be, so I am thrilled to be signing a new deal," said Wilder.
"The football club is in a really good place, there's a real feelgood factor around the training ground and I'm excited about what we can achieve together.
"The new owners have been incredibly helpful to me since they arrived, and I'd personally like to thank them for their faith and support in what we are trying to work towards at this football club. I'm looking forward to working more closely with them and I'm excited about what we can achieve together in the future.
"My thanks also extends to the supporters who have stuck with us after a difficult time last season. You all know how I feel about this football club, and your continued backing is never underestimated."
Even before they completed last month's takeover of the club, new co-chairmen Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy spoken openly about wanted to back Wilder specifically in the transfer market.
They have followed through on their words with the loan signings of Ben Brereton Diaz and Hamza Choudhury, players the manager have worked with before, and a permanent deal for Tom Cannon, the most expensive signing the club has made outside of the Premier League. The centre-forward has signed for a fee in the region of £10m plus add-ons.
Two more signings are planned with Hertha Berlin right-back Jonjoe Kenny a target who is keen to come, but the Blades prepared to walk away if a deal cannot be agreed soon.
"Chris and his backroom staff have worked tirelessly to get the team in the best position possible," said the co-chairmen. "It has been a pleasure working with Chris and his knowledgeable team during this exciting new chapter for Sheffield United."
In his first spell as manager, between 2016 and 2021, former Halifax Town player and manager Wilder led the Blades from League One to a ninth-place finish in the 2019-20 Premier League, only for the club to fall away in the next season. He was sacked in March 2021, with the club doomed to relegation.
But it did not stop him returning to work again for the owner who sacked him, Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad Al Saud, after unsuccessful stints with Middlesbrough and, briefly, Watford.
With another Premier League relegation already on the cards, his focus has been on restoring a winning culture at Bramall Lane and reducing the average age of a squad which had not been sufficiently refreshed from the rise up the divisions in his first spell because of financial constraints.
The Blades are two points behind Championship leaders Leeds United after 29 games.