"QPR were trying their luck" - Sheffield United reaction given to Jimmy Dunne, Alfie Gilchrist transfer saga | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit has given his view on the transfer saga involving QPR defender Jimmy Dunne and Alfie Gilchrist.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield United are currently among the automatic promotion contenders in the Championship, and it was a busy end to the January transfer window at Bramall Lane.

Sheffield United's long-awaited takeover by Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltoukhy was finally completed in December, and as well as handing manager Chris Wilder a new contract, they also provided him with significant backing in the transfer market.

The Blades brought in seven new players during the winter window, and Rosen and Eltoukhy were certainly not afraid to spend, with striker Tom Cannon arriving from Leicester City for a reported fee of £10 million.

One of the main priorities for Wilder in January was to bring in a new centre-back after Harry Souttar's season-ending injury, and while they eventually signed Rob Holding on loan from Crystal Palace, their original target was Queens Park Rangers defender Jimmy Dunne.

FLW exclusively revealed United's interest in Dunne last month, and they are said to have had a bid rejected for the 27-year-old, who is out of contract at Loftus Road at the end of the season.

Given his contract situation, the Blades were reportedly reluctant to meet Dunne's £3 million valuation, but as QPR prepared for the possibility of losing the Irishman, they are believed to have shown interest in Alfie Gilchrist, who is currently on loan at Bramall Lane from Chelsea.

Sheffield United backed over Jimmy Dunne transfer stance

When asked if he would rather have signed Dunne instead of Holding, FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy, from the YouTube channel Blades Ramble, said that the club were right not to pay £3 million for a player that could potentially be available for free in the summer, while he also insisted that Gilchrist will have a part to play in the second half of the season.

"Alfie Gilchrist being considered by QPR adds a different twist to the whole transfer saga," Jimmy said.

"Now that we've brought Rob Holding in as a loan, I actually think that Gilchrist will be the one to miss out on minutes in the first-team because Holding is there to cover centre-back.

"Harry Clarke has come in at right-back where Gilchrist was playing, so if we were going to sign Jimmy Dunne permanently, that would have been instead of Holding, so we'd still have had five loans and been able to utilise Gilchrist as the centre-back cover.

"Thinking about it, it might not have worked for us anywhere.

"Gilchrist is a good footballer, but he's just hit a bad patch of form, and he will continue to contribute for Sheffield United this season, I have every confidence in him.

"I probably wouldn't have gone to £3 million for a player (Dunne) who is probably worth £4-5 million, but is out of contract in the summer.

"I think QPR were trying their luck to be honest."

Sheffield United could reignite Jimmy Dunne interest in the summer

While Sheffield United will be disappointed to miss out on Dunne, they have brought in a defender with plenty of Premier League experience in Holding, and he should be more than capable of doing a job in the Championship.

Jimmy is right that £3 million would have been too much to spend on a player in the final six months of his contract, but with little sign that Dunne is willing to commit his future to QPR, it looks likely that he will become a free agent in the summer.

Dunne would have no shortage of suitors if he was to depart Loftus Road at the end of his current deal, but the Blades would have a strong chance of landing his signature, particularly if they were to win promotion to the top flight.