According to The Star, Rhian Brewster’s future at Sheffield United is still uncertain despite ongoing negotiations over his contract.
The 25-year-old moved to Bramall Lane from Premier League outfit Liverpool in 2020 for a fee of around £25 million, which is still, to this day, Sheffield United’s most expensive signing.
According to Sheffield United’s retained list, the club have offered Brewster new terms; however, it remains unclear whether or not Brewster will accept these new terms.
Brewster will officially become a free agent in just over a week if the club and he fail to agree on a contract extension.
A Disappointing Five Years
Brewster’s five years at the club have been riddled with injury, with the striker missing a substantial amount of games through a recurring hamstring injury, which has affected four of his five seasons at the Blades.
The England under-21 international has made 119 appearances in all competitions for the Blades, scoring just nine goals and assisting a further four, which is a far cry from the numbers which Sheffield United hoped he’d put up when they splashed the cash in October 2020.
The highlight of his Blades career came at Hillsborough, scoring a derby-day winner against Sheffield rivals Sheffield Wednesday this season to complete the double over their fiercest rivals.
A New Era Under New Management
The Blades decided to part ways with Chris Wilder, replacing the Englishman with Ruben Selles, but it is still understood that the new contract offer has not been withdrawn or affected as a result.
It was known that former manager Wilder was keen to retain Brewster’s services, with the player thought to be settled at the club.
After the sides’ play-off heartbreak against Sunderland, some players have been linked with Premier League moves away from Bramall Lane, including the likes of Oli Arblaster, Gus Hamer and Sydie Peck, with the club hoping to retain most of their key players to give themselves another fighting chance at promotion.
The club will also be hoping to strengthen in key areas, and have made one signing already, with young Nigerian winger Ehije Ukaki already making the move across to Bramall Lane from Bulgarian outfit Botev Plovdiv.
Although Brewster wasn’t always the starting name on the team sheet last season, he would still offer a rotational, versatile option across the attacking line, and would leave strikers Tom Cannon, Kieffer Moore and Tyrece Campbell as the three options upfront for Selles next season.
Writer’s View
Although Brewster’s five-year stint at Sheffield United may not have gone perfectly to plan, this is mostly as a result of injury issues, which have kept him out of a lot of action. The fact that the club and Wilder put so much faith in him last season speaks louder than any criticism.
However, with the 25-year-old not yet signing a new deal, even with one on the table, it suggests he’s weighing up his options before making an executive decision. There’s just a little over a week before he becomes a free agent, implying he’s closer to a move away than to signing a new deal.
