Our prediction: 7th
Likely finish: 5th–11th
Transfer window so far: 5/10
Biggest question
Who is going to score the goals?
Why we have Sheffield United 7th
Sheffield United have lost a considerable amount of experience this summer. Danny Ings has departed, Ben Mee has retired, while Tom Davies, Jairo Riedewald and Andre Brooks have also left the club. Matt Doherty and young Brentford striker Romelle Donovan have arrived.
Doherty looks like a smart Championship signing. He brings experience, leadership and the ability to contribute going forward from the right, while his versatility should also prove valuable over a demanding 46-game season.
Donovan is an exciting addition with plenty of development potential, but asking him to immediately become a reliable Championship goalscorer would be a significant gamble.
That is ultimately what prevents us from putting Sheffield United inside our top six. There is plenty of quality in the squad, but as things stand, they lack the proven striker capable of delivering 15–20 league goals. In a division where so many matches are decided by fine margins, that can easily be the difference between reaching the playoffs and finishing immediately outside them.
Strengths
Sheffield United should remain well organised and difficult to play against. They still possess a strong Championship core, plenty of experience and a style of football well suited to the demands of the division.
They are unlikely to be comprehensively outplayed very often and should be capable of collecting points through structure, physicality and set pieces even when their football is not particularly fluent.
Doherty should strengthen that side of their game further. His experience at a much higher level gives Sheffield United another player capable of making good decisions in tight matches, while his attacking runs provide an additional threat from wide areas.
There is enough established Championship quality here for Sheffield United to remain around the playoff positions for much of the campaign.
AdvertisementWeaknesses
The squad currently looks a little short of pace in certain areas, while the summer departures have removed a significant amount of experience.
The bigger issue, however, is goals. Donovan could prove to be one of the season’s positive surprises, but relying heavily on a young striker would carry considerable risk. Sheffield United need someone who has already demonstrated an ability to score consistently at this level if they are serious about challenging for promotion.
Without that player, there is a danger that too many matches end with Sheffield United having competed well without finding the decisive goal.
They could also benefit from more creativity through the middle. Against compact opponents, organisation and physicality alone will not always be enough.
Key player
Matt Doherty
His experience, leadership and attacking contribution could become extremely important. Doherty offers more than defensive solidity. His ability to make intelligent forward runs and contribute goals and assists could prove particularly valuable in a team where the overall goalscoring burden remains a concern.
Player to watch
Romelle Donovan
There should be plenty of interest in how quickly Donovan adapts to Championship football. He has the potential to develop into an important attacking player, but Sheffield United should ideally be in a position where his emergence is a bonus rather than something their promotion hopes depend upon.
What they still need
An established goalscorer is the obvious priority. Adding a creative midfielder would give them another way of unlocking deep defences, while greater pace in the defensive line would make the squad more complete.
If they address those areas before the window closes, Sheffield United could very easily move from just outside our playoff places to firmly inside them.
Verdict
Sheffield United should be involved in the playoff battle for much of the season. They have enough experience, organisation and Championship quality to consistently take points from the teams below them, and we expect them to remain within touching distance of the top six.
The question is whether they have enough cutting edge to turn tight matches into victories. At the moment, we don’t think they do. Unless an established goalscorer arrives, too many potentially winnable matches could end in draws or narrow defeats.
Our prediction is 7th place – agonisingly close to the playoffs, but ultimately just outside the top six.