Could we be seeing a change in philosophy?
That was my immediate reaction to seeing the news of who the Blades appear to be looking at right now, possibly due to the injury sustained by Jack O’Connell, meaning we have to change from our tried and tested 3-5-2 formation and go for something else by bulking up the midfield further.
According to a report in Spanish outlet Sport, Sheffield United are one of two Premier League teams, along with Burnley who are chasing Espanyol midfielder Marc Roca in a deal reported to be anywhere in the region of €10m-€15m.
The report claims that the Spanish side may need to sell him in order to reduce their wage bill after being relegated last season. He comes across as someone who would fit in well with the Blades system, playing plenty of passes with a high completion rate, he could take up a role alongside the likes of Sander Berge and help dictate play.
Will we bring in a new centre-back before the window closes?
Yes
No
But should he really be the priority right now? Personally, I don’t think so, I’d much rather the club try and get a new central defender in to add to the squad depth, something Chris Wilder himself addressed after the game on Sunday, and a new forward, which it looks as if there’s some progress on in recent days.
Then and only then can we start to look at adding pieces like Roca into the side. Get what we ‘need’ in first, and then go for players that we ‘want’ afterwards.
What about you? Would you like to see us sign Roca? And do you think we should address the other positions first?