Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has revealed that Andre Dozzell has other offers on the table as he looks to earn a permanent contract at Bramall Lane.
The 25-year-old found himself without a club following his release from Queens Park Rangers at the end of last season. Dozzell had been a regular feature in the middle of the park at Loftus Road under Gareth Ainsworth, but was allowed to join Championship strugglers Birmingham City on loan in January following the appointment of Marti Cifuentes.
His time at the Blues started brightly enough, bagging the winner in a 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in February. However, he soon fell out of favour as the West Midlands side were eventually condemned to relegation.
The former Ipswich Town man’s availability alerted Sheffield United, who return to the second tier after their brief stay in the Premier League. He was given the opportunity to earn a contract with the Yorkshire side and has featured in the club’s last three pre-season friendlies.
The midfielder looks set to feature against Huddersfield Town on Friday night before a decision is ultimately made, with Wilder confirming that he is still under consideration. However, the 56-year-old did reveal that there are offers on the table from other clubs:
“He’s got offers from other clubs but any opposition that he’s played against, he’s impressed,” he told The Star.
“He’s impressed us with his attitude, and he suits the way we play. He knits it together in the middle of the park and is a very technical player. he’s had a career really based in the Championship so he’s one that we’re talking about. We wouldn’t bring players in just to fill in slots for pre-season.
“It’s a position that we feel we might need to fill, especially with Gus Hamer playing out on the left or Callum O’Hare playing left and Gus playing 10. Tom Davies has a few issues with his injuries as well, so we need numbers in all positions and competition. So we’ll see what happens in the next two or three days on that one.”
Writer’s View
Whilst Chris Wilder is seemingly delaying his decision over offering Dozzell a permanent contract, you have to feel he will complete a move to Bramall Lane. He has seemingly impressed during his short time there over the summer and it is a position in which they need to fill.
For the midfielder, it’s a nice predicament to be in. Knowing he has fall-back options in case the Blades pull the plug means that he won’t be searching desperately for a new home come the start of the season, whilst a full pre-season ensures he will be able to hit the ground running. We’ll perhaps get a clearer picture of the situation if he is named in the starting lineup against Huddersfield on Friday.
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