MX23RW : Wednesday, July 8 02:57:25| >> :120:10592:10592:

Chris Wilder admits Sheffield United will have to adapt in transfer market

Chris Wilder admits Sheffield United will have to adapt in transfer market
© Reuters
Transfer budget hit and fringe players may leave the club to offset financial shortfall.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder believes the financial implications of the Coronavirus pandemic could affect the club to the tune of between £20million and £30million.

The Premier League was curtailed in March due to the outbreak and since its resumption this month all matches have been behind closed doors with fans not permitted to attend.

With no timescale on when supporters might be allowed back in stadiums, clubs continue to feel the pinch from a commercial point of view.

The impact has changed the landscape for Wilder as regards his budget for next season and he may have to let some fringe players leave the club as a result.

"First of all, I'm not being disrespectful because football was rightly stopped, I'm just speaking from a financial perspective, but it has definitely changed things," said Wilder.

"I'm not embarrassed to say that. We'll lose a chunk of change, I don't know, somewhere between 20 and 30 million I should imagine from the football club's point of view. Perhaps that is a question for (chief executive officer) Steve (Bettis).

"Does that mean it will affect budgets and investment into the team? Yes, that's going to be the case and also what's happening at the football club right now with the transfer of the club from one owner to another.

"I accept that and it's up to me to find another way round that. I will give my best in trying to do what I need to do in order to make the group better for next year, which we have to.

Chesterfield v Sheffield United – Pre-Season Friendly – Proact Stadium
Chris Wilder says Phil Jagielka has added experience to the Blades squad but his one-year contract is due to expire when the season ends next month.

"There's no doubt about it, you can't stand still in this division because it will hurt you – as we've seen in glimpses so far since the return.

"My job next season is to make sure we are stronger than when we first started in the Premier League and there will be some decisions to make."

Phil Jagielka's one-year contract will expire when the season ends next month, while it might be that the Blades are unable to take up the option of turning Richairo Zivkovic's loan from Chinese side Changchun Yatai into a permanent deal.

"There's decisions to make," said Wilder. "Jags has brought a great amount of experience into the group but there's budgets to finalise. This is a moving situation, things can change.

Newcastle United v Sheffield United – Premier League – St James' Park
The financial impact of the pandemic may prevent Sheffield United taking up the option of turning Richairo Zivkovic's loan into a permanent deal.

"Nobody knows if there's going to be supporters in the ground so, from a commercial aspect for next year, sponsorship deals are things we as a football club rely really heavily on and are they going to be affected in the future nobody knows.

"Jags has put himself in a situation to earn a new contract but it's always a moving situation and he understands that, as the other boys do. Some boys aren't going to be with us and that's the natural progression of the football club.

"(Zivkovic) was a loan with a view and still is so there's conversations to have there. We have a basic idea of what we want to do and improve based on this season. He's here for the next month and we'll see where it goes from there."

ID:404757:
Latest coronavirus PSA banner

Coronavirus outbreak - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Chris Wilder

Click here for more stories about Sheffield United

Share this article now:
General view of Sheffield United's Bramall Lane taken April 2017
Read Next:
Sheffield United: Transfer ins and outs - Summer 2020
>
Latest Sports Video
Did you know...?
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
Read more about Chris Wilder Football

rhs 2.0
Premier League
Championship
La Liga
Serie A
Primeira Liga
Turkish Super Lig
Greek Superleague
Swiss Super League
Russian Premier League
Danish Superliga
Finnish Veikkausliiga
Segunda Division
Brasileiro
J1 League
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLiverpool33292272254789
2Manchester CityMan City33213981344766
3Chelsea341861063461760
4Leicester CityLeicester34178964323259
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd331510856332355
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves33131374536952
7Arsenal34121485042850
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs33139115244848
9Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd33121293433148
10Burnley33137133746-946
11Everton33128134048-844
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331110123545-1043
13Southampton33134164255-1343
14Crystal Palace34119143043-1342
15Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton33812133544-936
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham3387184058-1831
17Watford34710173153-2231
18Aston Villa3376203662-2627
19Bournemouth3376203259-2727
20Norwich CityNorwich3456232663-3721

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!