The Blades have fallen: Chris Wilder set to leave Sheffield United

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder is set to leave his role after nearly five years in charge, according to reports from the BBC.

Wilder took over in 2016 with the club in League One, where he led them to promotion in his first year. After a year of consolidating their position in the Championship, they then earned promotion to the Premier League in 2019.

Their first season in the Premier League was one of the great success stories, with Wilder’s unfancied side challenging for European places right until lockdown disrupted the season, before finishing in a remarkable ninth place.

However, they have endured significant regression in terms of results and performances this season. They experienced the worst start to a season in Premier League history and are now bottom in the league and effectively 13 points from safety with 10 games of the season left to play. Realistically there is little hope of staving off relegation, and they seem certain to be spending next season in the Championship.

There have been several serious issues that have contributed to the Blades’ demise. Crippling injuries to players such as Jack O’Connell and Sander Berge have showcased their lack of squad depth and general lack of Premier League quality in the squad.

There have also reportedly been major issues between Wilder and the owner Prince Abdullah, specifically over the issue of new signings and whether a director of football is necessary to take over transfers. Prince Abdullah believes that enough investment was made, particularly on expensive strikers Oli Mcburnie and Rhian Brewster. Wilder believes the players are not good enough and more investment was required.