Sheffield United v Burnley: 'Lean on me' says Chris Wilder to new owners as Blades seek to 'dominate the area'

CHRIS WILDER has stressed his desire to remain at Sheffield United 'for a long time' - in the week which saw a new chapter in the modern-day history of the club finally start to be penned.

US-based consortium COH Sports completed their protracted takeover of the Championship leaders on Monday and co-chairmen Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy will be in attendance for their first time in their new roles at the Boxing Day game with promotion rivals Burnley at Bramall Lane.

The future of Wilder, whose 18-month deal expires in June, is likely to be one of the early priorities for the new owners, with the 57-year-old having done a sterling job to galvanise United following a tough 2023-24 which ended in a pitiful relegation from the Premier League.

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Wilder led the Blades to promotion into the big time in his first spell at the club in 2018-19 - backing up with an outstanding ninth placed finish in 2019-20.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images.Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder. Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images.

In their opening statement, the board pledged to support the ‘current management team, including Stephen Bettis (CEO) and Chris Wilder’.

Wilder said: "I’d love the owners to lean on me. I am here to serve the football club and I’d love to stay here for a long time.

"I have always realised my ambitions here personally and I think there’s more goals to tick off as well.

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"I’d like to think from myself and Stephen Bettis in being the main drivers of what’s happened in Sheffield over the last eight or nine years that they have people on site where it’s not about an ego trip for both of us, but the club being successful and driving it forward."

The board have also vowed to support Wilder in the forthcoming transfer window, with the Blades chief seeking two or three experienced players to bolster his side’s promotion quest.

United are likely to target a couple of top-flight loan signings alongside a permanent addition or two, with Wilder to meet with Rosen and Eltoukhy on Thursday to finetune recruitment plans.

Scotching any suggestions that the club will spend a small fortune in the new year, the Blades chief added: "I don’t think it will be a chequebook scenario where, all of a sudden, we go from zero to one hundred miles per hour in the space of six months.

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"The best plans are put in action and it’s evolution more than revolution and we will take our time in terms of getting there.

"But we are in a great position in terms of the league and won’t turn down the opportunity of stepping into the Premier League if that happens in the next six months."

Incremental growth and consolidation further down the line in the top-flight remains an avowed aim of COH Sports and Wilder shares in those ambitions. But right now, it's a case of first things first.

Wilder, who welcomes back Anel Ahmedhodzic and Vini Souza into his squad for the Clarets test, said: "We want to dominate the area, as I always wanted to do when I first came back to the club, which I think we have done.

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“I think everyone understands what the Premier League is about now, the strength of it and the financial commitment everybody has to make to it.

"We will try and find our own way, as we always have done, if we can do that, that will be great. We’d love to establish ourselves in the Premier League.”

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