Chris Wilder defiant over Sheffield United future amid hint over player departures following relegation

Chris Wilder has reiterated his desire to lead the rebuild of Sheffield United following their relegation from the Premier League, insisting he is more determined than at any other time of his life to turn things around at his boyhood club. The Blades suffered another chastening afternoon in a season full of them at Newcastle United on Saturday, with a 5-1 defeat officially condemning them to an immediate Championship return.

Wilder returned in December after the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom but has been unable to halt the Blades’ slide into the Championship, expressing his frustration at the lack of leadership and availability issues he feels have contributed to their poor campaign. A huge number of players are expected to leave Bramall Lane this summer, through a combination of expiring contracts, player sales and Cameron Archer’s return to Aston Villa, with Wilder adamant he is the right man to spearhead the revolution.

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The 56-year-old has another year on his Bramall Lane contract and there is no suggestion from inside the club that he will not see that out, as he looks to return United to the Premier League at the first attempt. But there are lessons that must be learned throughout the club if the Blades do get back into a division that Wilder admitted was “too powerful” for his side to compete in.

“Incredibly. More than anytime in my career,” said Wilder when asked about his determination and desire to lead the Blades rebuild. “In my playing career or my managerial one. It’s as big as ever because it needs work. It needs a lot of time putting into it, it needs a plan. There will be a lot of boys going. Some from loan deals and some players that won’t be here through sales and who want to attract interest from elsewhere.

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“There’s a group of players who are coming to an end of the cycle at the football club, they’ve been outstanding servants. We need to freshen it up and I’m as keen and committed and have a bigger desire than ever to be front and centre of that. It’s been a really poor season and there’s been glimmers and some positives. The support has been good and the youngsters have been good, and we’ve got even more really good young players that will be pushing to get in after a pre-season with us.”

Wilder’s status as a Sheffield-born Blades fan and former player gives him an insight into what is required to represent this football club and he had experience of a big reset before, having inherited a United squad that had just finished 11th in League One when he succeeded Nigel Adkins at the helm back in 2016. Within three seasons, they were in the Premier League.

“It’s been a poor season but it’s a really good football club,” Wilder added. “We’ll attract players, some decent loan players and some really good players and reset and rebuild. We’ve reviewed and reflected. I believe I know what we need to do and I’ve done it before. I’m confident we can achieve what we want to achieve next season.”