Sheffield United have appointed Rubén Sellés as their new manager after Chris Wilder expressed “great regret” over his departure from Bramall Lane. Sellés was swiftly named as Wilder’s successor on Wednesday evening with the Spaniard signing a three-year deal at the Championship club.
The 42-year-old former Southampton, Reading and Hull manager said: “When we first heard about the possibility of coming here, it was a no-brainer for us to join a club with this kind of history and with a mission to move forward and try to be even more competitive. This is a very powerful and ambitious project. It was very important at the start of the conversations that everyone is on the same page.
“We need to embrace data and new technologies, but the most important thing is not to forget the football essence. I think we are capable of delivering a good model and optimise our performance by using all the tools that we have. Our identity is always very clear. We want to be aggressive, we want to make things happen.
“So, the fans can expect a team which is not going to wait or be reactive, we will be proactive, we are going to go and try and be as competitive as we can in every single game. If we can do that then we’ll give ourselves a very good chance of winning games.”
Wilder’s departure had been expected following the club’s end-of-season review into their failure to win promotion to the Premier League. Despite amassing 90 points, United finished third behind Leeds and Burnley and were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland in the playoff final at Wembley after taking the lead. United described Wilder’s departure as a “mutually agreed decision”.\
The 57-year-old quickly released his own statement through the club’s media platforms, saying he was “obviously disappointed” to be leaving Bramall Lane. Wilder said: “It is with great regret that my time at Sheffield United has come to an end. I’d like to thank Stephen Bettis [the chief executive] and Prince Abdullah [the former owner] for bringing me back to the club and giving me the opportunity to rebuild the team and take this great club forward.
“To the fans, I’m obviously disappointed to be leaving, particularly because we were so close to getting back to the Premier League. I’m a Sheffielder through and through, I love this club and this city and that feeling will never change. I depart with some cherished memories and feel proud to be talked about in the same manner that special Sheffield United managers are remembered – leading this team over 300 times will remain an incredible part of my life. This is a heartfelt thank you for all your support.”
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