Football League World
·16 May 2024
George Baldock set for big transfer move after Sheffield United exit
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Football League World
·16 May 2024
George Baldock is set to leave Sheffield United this summer, bringing an end to his seven-year spell at Bramall Lane, with a life-changing move on the horizon for the fullback.
The 31-year-old is set to make the move to Greek side Panathinaikos when his contract in Yorkshire comes to an end, with the Athens-based club said to have offered him a long-term deal as per the Sheffield Star.
Having joined United from MK Dons in the summer of 2017, Baldock has gone on to play for the Blades over 200 times across the top two tiers; experiencing two promotions along the way.
Having featured 13 times for Chris Wilder’s side in the top flight this season, but with injury ruling him out for the rest of the campaign he will say his goodbyes after the match against Tottenham Hotspur on home turf this Sunday.
Sheffield United have made the move to announce five key departures from the club before the season has ended, to allow the quintet the send off they deserve in their final fixture of the season this weekend.
Baldock will be departing Bramall Lane alongside fellow veteran Chris Basham, as well as Oliver Norwood, Wes Foderingham and Max Lowe; a group that has over 1000 appearances in red and white between them.
Baldock made the move to Yorkshire seven years ago, having impressed for MK Dons in League One, and soon established himself as a fan-favourite with his new club.
With his marauding runs down the flanks and tenacity out of possession, the defender epitomised everything that United fans want out of anyone who puts on their team’s shirt, and he has had the career befitting of that.
Having been something of a regular during the majority of his time at the club, Baldock has been influential in the Blades’ recent rise, with two successful Championship promotion campaigns under his belt.
The first came in the 18/19 campaign, as Wilder’s free-flowing side finished second to Norwich City to seal a return to the Premier League, before going on to finish in the top half of the top flight the year after.
The Steelmen failed in the playoffs in their first season back in the EFL in 21/22, before once again playing runners-up to Burnley in the previous campaign, with Baldock featuring as prominently as ever to earn himself a second promotion-winning medal.
It wasn’t until two years ago that Baldock was called up for the first time to the Greece international setup, with former Leeds United boss Gus Poyet overseeing matters in Athens at the time.
The defender qualifies for the Mediterranean country through his grandmother, although he wasn’t sure of his potential of playing for the International setup in an interview from 2019.
He said: "Apparently I qualify for Greece. One of my grandparents was from there and that seems to be good enough.
“The only trouble is, looking through their squad, they've got lads from Arsenal and Olympiacos. Oh, and I don't speak the language."
Since then, Baldock has featured 12 times for the international side, with his most recent appearance coming in a 5-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan in March this year.
An injury while with his newfound countrymen is what has ruled him out for the rest of the campaign, but with a move to the country he represents in the pipeline, he can expect to be in and around the international setup once he returns to action.
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