Tyrese Campbell Has Been Outstanding in his Debut Season – The Blades Win Promotion if he Stays Fit, Here’s Why | OneFootball

When the Blades announced the signing of free agent Tyrese Campbell last summer, there was a slight question mark over the move. Not because of his talent; that’s never been in question, but his ability to stay fit as well as his attitude was a talking point at his former club Stoke City.

While he’s had some niggling injuries over the last few months, Campbell has really been a breath of fresh air in terms of his work rate and quality, and his outstanding goal against Queens Park Rangers really does typify his first season at Sheffield United.

Huge credit must go to the recruitment team and Chris Wilder because once again, Wilder has managed to find a hidden gem for a minimal fee.

In 23 Championship matches for United, he has scored seven goals and provided an assist. He offers much more than just goals and assists numbers though. He’s shown his versatility this season by playing on the right, on the left, in the number ten position and up front.

He impacts the game in many different phases because of pace to get in behind or down the sides of the opposition defence. But, he also has the strength and aggression to be able to hold off his marker and hold the ball up. Lastly, his football intelligence and technique is first class. He can beat players with the ball at his feet, he can get involved in combination play, he can play one and two-touch football in and around the box. But his overall understanding of when to drop to feet, when to make runs to create space for others, or when to be in the right place in the box – there is no real weakness to his game.

I said many months ago that if Tyrese Campbell was a stock, I’d be very bullish on him because I have 100% faith in him being able to impact games in the Premier League. Of course, we have to get there first. And with his contribution over the next 11 matches, he can help the Blades reach their objective of automatic promotion.

When watching him this season, he reminds me of an Iliman Ndiaye/David McGoldrick type of striker in the sense that his versatility matches up with those two players, and he has that bit of magic in his boots, almost like you’re waiting for something good to happen whenever he touches the ball.

Tyrese Campbell’s Stats For the Blades

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Tyrese Campbell of Sheffield United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Sheffield Wednesday FC at Bramall Lane on November 10, 2024 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)

Campbell’s numbers on paper match up with what the eye test says. Not only has he been a goal machine whenever he’s played, averaging 0.62 non-penalty goals per 90 (98th percentile compared to Championship forwards), he is a driving force and a creator for the Blades.

He ranks in the 88th percentile for progressive carries and 86th percentile for progressive passes received, he often drops into pockets of space to receive the ball and then receives it on the half turn or drops his shoulder and carries the ball forward. Plus he likes to carry the ball into the penalty area, using his burst of pace to get on the outside of full-backs, he ranks in the 91st percentile for carries into the box.

While he only has one assist to his name, he is a creative outlet, ranking in the 83rd percentile for key passes, and he averages almost three shot-creating actions per 90, which ranks him in the 86th percentile versus other Championship forwards this season.

Tyrese Campbell on His Match-Winning Goal Against QPR

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 01: Tyrese Campbell of Sheffield United celebrates scoring his teams second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers FC and Sheffield United FC at Loftus Road on March 01, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

The Blades claimed all three points against Queens Park Rangers in a 2-1 win, thanks to a goal inside the first ten minutes of each half, with the pick of the bunch being Tyrese Campbell’s 54th minute strike.

On his goal, Campbell told SUTV, “I don’t think I’ve ever scored a goal like that in my career. I don’t really remember it going in, but I remember it being a good goal. I’ve watched it back, and I was like, ‘Yeah, okay, cool.’ Definitely one of the best goals I’ve scored, but also one of the most important ones, getting the three points here.”

It was absolutely vital that the Blades bounced back from the Leeds United defeat with a win over QPR to take full advantage of Burnley being in FA Cup action, and they certainly did that.

Campbell said: “We knew that we had to win and we put that pressure on ourselves because we know how good we are and we always come in to a game and do everything we can to win, whether that’s game management, how we attack, how we defend, how we press. Getting after the ball, especially away from home, we put big emphasis on that and we did that today I thought, it didn’t always work at times but we got the 3 points and that’s what we came for.”

With just eleven games to go, United are now just three points behind league leaders Leeds, and five points above third-place Burnley.

Campbell has spoken about the importance of remaining consistent throughout the final couple of months of the campaign: “Every game matters, every point matters, every run, every tackle, every goal, every block. This is the business end of the season and we’ve got to do our all to make sure we’re getting 3 points on a regular basis.”

Summary

To put it simply, Tyrese Campbell staying fit is Sheffield United’s best chance of securing automatic promotion to the Premier League. Yes, Gustavo Hamer is capable of world class things, and Ben Brereton Diaz has also had an impact since rejoining on loan. But, the Blades look like a totally different team when Campbell is playing.

We saw versus Leeds when he was substituted, the drop off at the top of the pitch when he isn’t playing is clear to see because United don’t have an out-ball to trouble opposition defences and also relieve pressure from their own back line. We even saw this same drop off against QPR to an extent.

All stats taken from FBref.