I don’t think we can necessarily call it panic stations.
But given that we appear to have lost someone who was so crucial to our success last season, coming in third in the WhoScored.com ranking whilst playing in the vast majority of our games, we need to make sure that we find the perfect replacement for him.
And if that means going into the transfer market for him, then so be it I guess. That’s the message I’m getting from Chris Wilder as he detailed what the club will have to do to make up for the absence of Jack O’Connell, who was yesterday ruled out for a very long time, possibly until the end of the season.
Speaking after the defeat to Leeds United (via @The_Bladesman), the Blades boss said that the club are going to have to look outside the club if they want to find someone who can help up this campaign:
🎙️ CW on O'Connell's replacement
"We're looking to bring someone in, we can't rely on Jack Robinson playing the whole season there. We've highlighted it to the board and put some names to them, so hopefully they agree with my assessment of it."#twitterblades #sufc
— The Bladesman (@The_Bladesman) September 27, 2020
Will we bring in a new centre-back before the window closes?
Yes
No
Whilst we might be able to fill the job in the starting line-up with someone like Ethan Ampadu, who stepped in for John Egan yesterday and you would presume would be a prime contender to carry that on in O’Connell’s absence, the issue now becomes one of strength in depth.
Because one more injury or suspension and all of a sudden we are down to the bare bones when it comes to cover.
What about you? What do you make of Wilder’s comments?