Sheffield United are keen on a deadline day move for Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham, according to Alan Nixon on Patreon.
The Blades are in the market for a new central defender on the final day of the window, and are looking to Mepham to fill that gap. The move is said to be achievable too, with the 26-year-old within the club’s budget and with reasonable wage demands. United have recently sold defender Auston Trusty to Celtic and are keen to use the funds from the sale to secure Mepham as a replacement.
Mepham has struggled to get into the Bournemouth team of late, standing behind Illya Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen in the pecking order, and is said to be keen on a transfer to get back playing, even if that means dropping down a league. The Harrow-born centre back has accumulated 121 appearances for the Cherries since his move from Brentford in 2019, but only played 13 times last campaign, proving to be only a squad player. He has however been unlucky with injuries, which have somewhat limited his game time.
Despite struggling at club level, Mepham is vastly experienced in international football. Qualifying for Wales through his grandmother, he has represented his ancestral home on 46 occasions since his debut in 2018 and has played at two European Championships and one World Cup, establishing himself as a starting centre-back.
It’s this experience which seems to have caught Blades manager Chris Wilder’s eye as he looks for defensive reinforcements. The Yorkshire outfit have lost plenty of experience over the summer in John Egan and Chris Basham, so will be looking to add some more through the signing of Mepham. It’s been a mixed start to their season, having drawn two of three league games, so they will be hoping to make signings that can convert some of those into wins in the remainder of the window.
Writer’s View
This is a good move for Mepham as he searches for more minutes, and will give the Blades some more Premier League pedigree as they hunt promotion. It makes sense financially and Mepham is more than good enough for the division, so it’s a good deal from that perspective. However, Mepham is yet to play more than 26 games in a single season so bringing him in as first-choice is a risk. If they keep him fit, though, it will be worth it.
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