Latest Blades financial news reinforces the importance of a takeover for Sheffield United: Opinion

Sheffield United’s Prince Abdullah is hoping to offload the club in the coming weeks, giving the new owner(s) the opportunity to prepare for life in the Premier League.

His willingness to sell the club has been known for some time, but bidder Dozy Mmobuosi has failed to get a takeover deal sealed despite having months and a period of exclusivity to do so.

Paul Heckingbottom, his coaching staff and the Blades’ recruitment team can do everything they can to prepare for the summer transfer window – but the fact is they may be poorly prepared unless their ownership situation is clarified very soon.

They could potentially be taken over soon considering there isn’t a shortage of interest in the Blades, but anyone looking to take control of United will need to agree a deal with Prince Abdullah and be given clearance by the Premier League or the EFL who won’t ratify any agreement unless they are certain that this is in United’s best interests.

What’s the latest news on Sheffield United’s summer budget?

According to Alan Nixon, manager Heckingbottom will only be given “an extra £20m” to spend during the summer window as things stand, plus the cash that will be coming in from the revenue they generate in the top flight.

That isn’t a huge amount of money when you compare that to Nottingham Forest’s spending spree this season.

The Reds did have to rebuild their squad and this is why this high spending was justified – but Iliman Ndiaye is arguably worth more than £20m and that just goes to show how small this kitty is.

Thankfully, the Blades can utilise the free agent and loan markets effectively, something that could maximise their chances of spending more than one season back in the top tier.

But there’s no escaping the fact they probably need a bigger budget to increase their chances of staying afloat in the top flight and this is why a takeover is desperately needed.

What areas do Sheffield United need to address?

A new goalkeeper would be ideal but they could probably get away with keeping Wes Foderingham in goal, although they are certainly in need of more depth in central defence with Ciaran Clark leaving the club following the end of his loan spell at Bramall Lane.

Their left wing-back area may also need addressing, especially if Rhys Norrington-Davies operates in a more central role with Max Lowe susceptible to picking up injuries.

But the position that needs to be focused on the most is their midfield department, with Tommy Doyle and James McAtee departing and John Fleck, Oliver Norwood and Ismaila Coulibaly potentially leaving for free this summer with their contracts expiring.

Sander Berge isn’t guaranteed to stay either considering the amount of interest there has been in him in previous windows – and neither is striker Ndiaye. Both players only have one year left on their contracts.

Even in the forward department, more experience would be ideal considering how young Daniel Jebbison and Will Osula are.

With most positions needing to be strengthened, their current budget simply isn’t sufficient, even when taking into consideration the fact it will be a bit higher than £20m because of the revenue they will generate in the top tier.