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Sheffield United are now three games away from making it back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but we can exclusively reveal that failure in the Championship play-offs would be nothing short of a disaster with multiple players ready to move on.
For almost the entire season, Sheffield United not only kept pace with Leeds United and Burnley, but even led the way at the top of the table.
However, a woeful spell of bad form in April cost them dearly and the Blades will now have to fight it out with Bristol City in the Championship play-offs.
Given Sheffield United’s play-offs record, with eight failed attempts in their history, the omens are not on their side, but they simply cannot afford to miss out on promotion this year.
In an EFL Analysis exclusive, we can reveal the names of three players that the Blades would end up losing this summer if they do not make it to the Premier League.
Sheffield United could lose key figures if they fail in play-offs
We picked the brain of transfer expert Graeme Bailey to see what the future holds for Sheffield United if they do fail in their quest to go up this season, and it’s not good news for Blades fans.
Bailey said: “It is interesting – Sheffield United have been bullish about promotion… But if they don’t go up, they would lose a number of players, little doubt.
“Anel Ahmedhodzic, Gustavo Hamer, and Vinicius Souza – they know going up is the only way they stay at Bramall Lane, indeed even if they go up, it might be hard to keep all three. You would add Oli Arblaster to that but because of his injury he won’t be going.”
Gus Hamer was crowned the Championship Player of the Year recently, and losing him would be a massive blow for the Blades.
As for Chris Wilder’s position as Sheffield United manager, it seems he may be safe from the sack regardless of the outcome of the play-offs.
Bailey added: “Chris Wilder – he loves the club, the fans love him, he will be staying put – as it stands they firmly believe that they will be in the Premier League.”
Can Sheffield United finally end their play-offs curse?
Sheffield United have never been promoted via the play-offs, but Chris Wilder firmly intends to break that curse this season.
In fact, United have never had Wilder at the helm in the play-offs, and he could well be the key factor in ending their years of heartbreak.
They go into the final stage of the season as absolute favourites after an impressive campaign, and are absolutely expected to get past Bristol City at the very least. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
The pressure of that Wembley crowd can weigh heavy on even the best teams, and Wilder will need his men to keep their composure, dig deep, and prove they are the third best outfit in the division over the coming weeks.
The pre-season predictions by Opta’s supercomputer had Sheffield United finishing ninth this year, but make no mistake, missing out on promotion, given the quality of the squad and the money spent, would be a resounding failure for this club.