Football League World
·24 October 2024
Football League World
·24 October 2024
The Blades will not want to lose Gustavo Hamer in January
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 have been told to avoid selling Gustavo Hamer in the January transfer window if any interest in his signature emerges as a result of his standout form in South Yorkshire.
Hamer has been one of the Championship's best players in recent years, and has been a key part of the Blades' midfield since his arrival from Coventry City last summer.
The 27-year-old was one of the few in their squad that emerged with credit in a turbulent 2023/24 Premier League campaign, and he received transfer interest from Leeds United in the summer as a result, but stayed at Bramall Lane.
He has unsurprisingly begun this term in fine form, and as a result, it has been deemed imperative that he is not sold on in the new year, especially given the Blades' desire to make an immediate return to the top-flight next May.
The Netherlands youth international has been a near mainstay for Chris Wilder so far this season, with nine starts from 11 Championship games, with four goals and an assist to his name in all competitions.
He is set to be a massively important figure to his side throughout this campaign if they want to keep up in the race for automatic promotion, and FLW's Blades' fan pundit, Jimmy, of The Blades Ramble YouTube channel, identified the 27-year-old when we asked him for a player that he believes they can not afford to lose in January, if transfer interest does emerge.
“I think purely on output alone, Gustavo Hamer is the player that we can’t afford to lose in the January window," Jimmy told FLW.
“I think he is most likely to be linked away, as well. We’ll have to be in and around (the promotion race) come January for us to be able to keep hold of him.
“He’s the one that will stand out and jump off the page.
“I also expect us to field offers for Anel Ahmedhodzic, who has started the season really well, and only has 18 months left on his deal come January.
“The club will likely consider any bids for Anel.
“Obviously (there is) Ollie Arblaster too, who was linked late in the summer window with a move to Brighton.
“He is our captain and he’s a Blade through and through. We would hate to lose him as well.”
Given the impression he made at the top level, and the continuation of his great form into this campaign, it would not come as a shock to see a transfer battle emerge over Hamer's signature in the new year.
United will certainly not want to lose a player of his stature, but a lot of factors in the next two months could contribute to how open they are to a potential sale.
Their league position, for example, will likely play a huge part in his future, as they must show signs of being able to compete at the top of the table for Hamer to feel like he has a chance of playing in the Premier League at the club again in the 2025/26 campaign.
As of today, they sit fifth in the Championship, and have shown some very encouraging signs of progress this term, but still seemingly need that little bit of extra firepower in attack to be able to go all the way and finish in the top two automatic spots.
The emergence and form of other midfielders could play a part too, with Sydie Peck the latest Blades academy graduate to break through and play regularly in the senior team, while Vinicius Souza and Ollie Arblaster have each been impressive in the middle of the park.
As well as that, other teams' situations and whether they are willing to splash the cash on Hamer will be interesting to see, with Leeds United in particular a potential destination after they had multiple approaches rebuffed late in the summer window, including a reported £13 million bid for his services.