Having picked up ten new signings last summer in the wake of the club’s disastrous relegation, Sheffield United are on course to be looking at an immediate return to the Premier League at the end of this campaign.
Chris Wilder has guided the Blades to 16 wins in the testing second tier to date, with the South Yorkshire outfit just outside the top two automatic promotion positions at the time of writing on goal difference.
To gift his team an upper hand in the ongoing promotion battle, Wilder will be looking to bring in even more impactful new recruits this January to sprinkle his side with quality here and there, which could see this League One star make the jump up to the Championship.
Sheffield United targeting EFL ace
As per a report from the Daily Express – via Inside Futbol – the second-tier promotion hopefuls have now reignited their interest in Peterborough United ace Ricky-Jade Jones, having previously agreed a deal with Darren Ferguson’s Posh last window before a switch fell flat.
Now, a move could be back on the cards as the Blades go about strengthening up top to keep up the pace with the likes of Burnley and Leeds United, but both Norwich City and Cardiff City are also keen on landing the League One speedster.
Recently coming in as the world’s “fastest recorded player in 2024”, as per journalist Pete O’Rourke, Jones could just be what the Blades need to blow teams away to clinch promotion, with Harrison Burrows also joining from Peterborough last year and going on to become a first-team regular under Wilder.
Moreover, when glancing below at Jones’ ability to play as a striker or down the channels, he could well link up with fellow target Tom Cannon to devastating effect as a competent winger if both fresh attackers join the Bramall Lane ranks at some stage across this chaotic month.
|
Jones’ senior Peterborough numbers by position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position played |
Games played |
Goals scored |
Assists |
|
ST |
66 |
18 |
8 |
|
LW |
21 |
6 |
1 |
|
RW |
4 |
2 |
0 |
|
AM |
4 |
1 |
1 |
|
LM |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
|||
What Jones could offer United
Away from his main standout numbers coming from the striker spot, where six league goals have come his way this season in the third tier, Jones has also shone as a left winger across his playing days at Posh to date with a promising seven goal contributions collected from 21 contests.
Therefore, if the likes of Cannon, who has 19 career goals as a striker in the Championship, arrives this month, Wilder might well opt to throw the “exciting” ace – as he was once described by EFL pundit Ali Maxwell – into his starting lineups down this wing instead of up top to get both stars in his team.
The pair could form a frightening partnership subsequently, with the attacking duo both similar in terms of their high-energy approach, alongside also only needing minimal touches of the ball to cause havoc.
Indeed, Jones has six League One strikes next to his name for 2024/25 despite only averaging 15 touches per match, whilst Cannon has three more goals to brag about from an average of just 22.3 touches himself.
Away from Wilder wanting Cannon and Jones to potentially form a daunting relationship, he would also hope the past Posh connections between the 22-year-old and Burrows would mean a synergy is present in South Yorkshire, especially if they both line up together down the left flank.
Burrows has ultimately been a success story up a level since leaving Cambridgeshire behind, with two goals and one assist coming his way in league action away from collecting a hefty total of ten clean sheets, with another golden deal between Posh and United now on the horizon.
Wilder will just hope this transfer approach pays off once more, with a couple of new additions this month perhaps giving United the edge to leap back up to the Premier League over the rest of the promotion pack.
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