Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has revealed there has been interest in Leon Clarke and Jake Wright. The duo have been deemed surplus to requirements at Bramall Lane and were transfer-listed last week, with hopes high that they might find new employers before the transfer window closes.
That has already happened for the Premier League and Championship but League One and League Two clubs can still wheel and deal.
With that in mind, a few have been looking at possible top-flight fringe players who might be seeking game-time elsewhere and the Blades pair fall into that category.
Striker Clarke played 24 times for the South Yorkshire outfit last season, scoring three Championship goals before he was loaned out to Wigan in January 2019.
Three more goals followed for the Latics but, now back with United, it seems as though his future lies elsewhere.
Wright, 33, did not kick a ball for the first team in 2018-2019, having made 17 appearances during the previous campaign and it seems inevitable that his days in the red and white stripes are over.
United are currently preparing for Tuesday’s EFL Cup clash at home to Blackburn Rovers and, speaking to the media ahead of that contest, Wilder confessed that the club is actively looking to move the duo on. “There’s been a little bit of interest in both Leon and Jake,” he said. “I’m sure those boys want to play football, and get themselves going again.”
United lost their first match of the season at the weekend, going down 2-1 to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, and are one of 10 clubs with four points to their name.
Every point will be vital in the battle to stay in the Premier League and the boss was less that happy about what he witnessed against the Foxes.
Although making all the right noises about the importance of the Carabao Cup, it seems inevitable that he will field some fringe players against Rovers in order to rest some of his top stars for the tough trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday to take on Chelsea.
Although it will not be a game in which the Blades are expected to return with anything to show for their efforts, Frank Lampard’s side is not unbeatable and a point would be a superb return from the capital.
