Analysis: What can Sheffield United expect from Callum O’Hare?

Sheffield United are hoping to sign Callum O’Hare after his contract with Coventry City expired earlier this month, according to The Star. The 26-year-old is rumored to be keen on joining the Blades, where he could be reunited with his former Coventry team-mate Gustavo Hamer.

During O’Hare’s last full campaign alongside Hamer (O’Hare missed most of the 2022/23 season with a serious injury), the pair conjured up 25 league goal contributions from their 60 goals of Coventry in that term.

O’Hare scored ten goals and provided four assists in all competitions last season, including a goal in the Sky Blues’ thrilling FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

Throughout his career, O’Hare has played as a left, right and attacking midfielder, but there is no doubt that he is most effective when playing as a number ten. He recorded 21 goals and 30 assists in 132 appearances in that position.

Leicester City and West Ham United have been linked with the Solihull-born man, but nothing concrete has come forward from either side. Instead, it seems more likely that the player will join a promotion contender, with both Burnley and Sheffield United showing strong interest.

Questions have been raised about Callum O’Hare’s injury record, however, the only point of concern is that he has missed 50 games in the 2022/23 campaign with a mixture of hamstring strain and an ACL injury, according to Transfermarkt. Other than that, his injury record is pretty clean.

The Blades could be looking at a midfield trio of Oli Arblaster, Gustavo Hamer and Callum O’Hare. This would undoubtedly be one of the best midfielders in the Championship, the only question is: would he work off the ball? That really depends on what the primary system is going to be, but what I do know is that you have two players in Hamer and O’Hare who are ready to belt hard and trouble defenders when they’re in possession.

Last season, compared to other attacking midfielders in the Championship, O’Hare ranked in the 82nd percentile for tackles, the vast majority of those coming in the middle third of the pitch. Additionally, he ranked in the 92nd percentile for percentage of dribblers tackled, highlighting that his off-ball work rate is very good.

One of O’Hare’s strengths is his ability to receive the ball in tight forward spaces and effectively hold it (similar in some ways to Iliman Ndiaye). He ranked in the 83rd percentile for touches in the attacking third, while also ranking in the 87th percentile for offensive tackles. What this essentially means is that he often shields the ball from the defender and tries to rotate and keep the offense moving.

While receiving the ball in tight areas of the pitch, sometimes with his back to goal, the 26-year-old is adept at drawing fouls from opposing defenders, ranking in the 84th percentile for fouls drawn.

Once in the final third, the former Coventry man can use his dribbling skills to unlock shooting opportunities for himself and his teammates. While O’Hare has poor takedown numbers, ranking in the 34th percentile, most of his shot creation and goal creation actions are actually via a takeover, ranking in the 76th percentile and 99th percentile.

O’Hare has the ability to open up a defense with a pass, but most of his good creative work comes off a successful dribble. He ranks in the 67th percentile for key passes and the 77th percentile for assists.

As mentioned earlier, the 26-year-old is much better when deployed as a number ten rather than out wide. With him playing behind the striker/s, it gives him the freedom to move wide to either wing to help create overloads, similar to what Mark Duffy did for the Blades. You can see his heat map from last season in the image below, he doesn’t shy away from either flank. And funnily enough, despite being known as an attacking central midfielder, the further forward you are, the fewer hot spots you see in the center of the pitch.

One thing he needs to improve once he gets into wide areas is his crossing quality; he performs below average in the 47th percentile metric of completed crosses. However, with the potential presence of Oli McBurnie or Kieffer Moore in the box, that number could improve anyway.

Something that O’Hare has really worked on in recent years is his decision making on when to shoot and the overall quality of his footage. What was once a weakness is now apparently a strength. He ranked in the 90th percentile for shots on target last season, as well as 81st for goals per shot, meaning he is very accurate and clinical in front of goal now.

COVENTRY, ENGLAND – MAY 04: Callum O’Hare of Coventry gestures during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers at the Coventry Building Society Arena on May 04, 2024 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Callum O’Hare of Coventry City scores his team’s second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Coventry City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on April 21, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

If Sheffield United do sign O’Hare, then it will be very interesting to see how Chris Wilder would use Hamer and O’Hare, given Hamer was often the one to go out on either flank last season for to make full use of his excellent delivery qualities, but this is also a trend in O’Hare’s game.

I feel the team would benefit from having O’Hare as the one who can move to either wing to create overloads and then have Hamer pull the strings in the midfield with the Arblaster.

If United can secure the potential signings of Harrison Burrows and O’Hare, then they would cause a major headache for the opposition. With O’Hare coming out to the left and threatening to cut inside, Burrows can make an overlapping run and while it’s all happening, Hamer could be lurking on the edge of the box, ready for a cutback. And the same could be said on the right, with Jayden Bogle overlapping.