Sheffield United are willing to ‘flop’ this summer

Sheffield United will, as of now, have only one first-team goalkeeper under contract next season. That player is Ivo Grbic. The Croatian was brought to Bramall Lane in the January transfer window from Atletico Madrid for a fee of around £2m.

Unfortunately, the transfer did not bear fruit; the 28-year-old conceded 25 goals in nine Premier League appearances – ending the campaign with a -10.31 goals against. In other words, he massively underperformed compared to the shots he faced, conceding ten more goals than he should have.

Speculation has grown over Grbic’s future at the Blades due to his poor performances. And it grew even more so when the former Atletico man was ruled out of the final day of the season in United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

Wes Foderingham and Adam Davies said goodbye after the full-time whistle as the pair are out of contract this summer and youth academy product Jordan Amissah will be allowed to leave the club in a matter of weeks.

Croatian goalkeeper no. Sheffield United’s Ivo Grbic 13 catches the ball from a corner kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, central England, on February 25, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP )

Speaking about his decision to leave Grbic out, Chirs Wilder told SUTV: “It was a decision I made that Adam Davies was brought in, I thought he deserved the opportunity to be a part of it.” .

According to The Star, Sheffield United are willing to allow Grbic to leave this summer if a suitable offer comes in for the Croatia international.

The goalkeeper situation at Bramall Lane is a complete mess and needs to be approached with some conviction this summer. The Blades have already missed out on one of their targets: Viktor Johansson – he recently agreed a lucrative long-term deal with Stoke City.

There are whispers that Sheffield United are hoping to sign Anthony Patterson for an £8million fee from Sunderland. Patterson, who is a childhood Sunderland fan, is under contract until 2028 and the club are understood to value him at around £15million.

With the ridiculous mismanagement of contracts over the past few years, the Blades have essentially backed themselves into a corner where they are now almost forced to dish out money at certain positions where they are desperate. The goalkeeper and the left back are the main focus.

Despite supporters’ skepticism about the amount of money Sheffield United will spend this summer, they will be acutely aware that they cannot completely ‘reduce’ this rebuild.

The club should 100% look to free agents such as Paddy McNair for the right centre-back position, but getting a 24-year-old goalkeeper who has 27 clean sheets in two Championship seasons for £8m would should be seen as a worthwhile investment.