Sheffield United’s stance in the race to sign Oli McBurnie has remained unchanged despite a change of manager in the form of Ruben Selles.
That is according to a report from the Sheffield Star, who state that the Blades are still in the hunt to acquire their previous club-record signing as talk of a reunion with the 29-year-old began during the final weeks of Chris Wilder’s second spell in charge at Bramall Lane.
Following lengthy speculation in recent days, it was confirmed by the club on Wednesday night that the boyhood United supporter and ownership group, COH Sports, had reached an agreement regarding Wilder’s exit from S2, with the recently dismissed Hull City boss subsequently penning a three-year contract with last season’s Championship play-off finalists.
The American board have made it no secret that a more data-driven approach to proceedings will be taking place in this part of the Steel City, and that has seen their former striker remain on a list of potential incomings amid strong interest from the Tigers as well as Swansea City and Birmingham City.
Sheffield United’s stance on Oli McBurnie reunion remains unchanged despite Chris Wilder, Ruben Selles developments
| Oli McBurnie – Sheffield United league goals and appearances (per Fbref.com) | ||||
| Season | Appearances (Starts) | Goals (Assists) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 36 (24) | 6 (0) | ||
| 2020-21 | 23 (12) | 1 (0) | ||
| 2021-22 | 28 (9) | 0 (2) | ||
| 2022-23 | 38 (25) | 13 (2) | ||
| 2023-24 | 21 (15) | 6 (3) | ||
The Leeds-born man opted to join Las Palmas, but has once again suffered the misfortune of relegation despite accumulating 11 goal contributions in 35 games as the Canary Island-based team finished 19th, which has subsequently activated a relegation release clause which allows the 17-time Scotland international to depart on a free transfer.
Unsurprisingly, this has sparked the interest of two of his former clubs alongside Hull and Birmingham, with the former set to hold talks with the forward after recently replacing Selles with Bosnian head coach, Sergej Jakirovic, whilst Alan Nixon has also recently claimed that McBurnie is open to remaining in Spain with Celta Vigo, who can offer him the chance to feature in the UEFA Europa League.
The Star’s fresh report claims that Wilder was interested in re-signing his former colleague in January before Las Palmas thwarted such plans, and that it was no surprise reunion talks continued into the off-season given the strong relationship formed between the duo.
However, it has been stated that a changing of the guard at Bramall Lane has done little to deter the Blades’ active pursuit, with McBurnie remaining on a compilation of targets produced by James Bord, as the Blades continue to work alongside statistics-based company, Short Circuit, as they continue to develop a new recruitment strategy in this part of South Yorkshire.
The report continues by claiming that it remains to be seen whether McBurnie personally continues to entertain the idea of a return given the managerial switch, regardless of the club’s stance.
Sheffield United developments have made Oli McBurnie transfer saga even more intriguing
Prior to the big developments which took place from a Blades perspective, it was also reported by Hull Live that McBurnie is in favour of a move to the MKM Stadium, and Wilder’s exit from his boyhood club could also have a huge bearing on the striker’s final decision.
Capology ESTIMATES that his weekly salary in Spain is €40,000 (£34,200) per week, meaning that a pay cut could be in order if the frontman was to return to England’s second-tier, regardless of the ambitions shown by all four clubs monitoring his situation.
United and Swansea are both environments which McBurnie knows well and has been successful in, scoring 55 times combined for the two clubs, and the South Wales outfit have emerged as potential ones to watch this season given their early transfer activity, whilst Hull and Birmingham also aren’t afraid to splash the cash under Acun Ilicali and Tom Wagner respectively.
Finances and the predicament of each team are facets likely to play a major part in the eventual outcome of this transfer saga, as well as whether McBurnie sees himself as a major part of those plans, which isn’t a full-on guarantee at Bramall Lane given the options already at Selles’ disposal in the form of Tyrese Campbell and Tom Cannon.
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