Sheffield United is hoping for its first summer transfer success as a former Liverpool and Leeds United target gets closer to joining the Blades.

According to The Star, Sheffield United is hoping to capture free agent Sam McCallum as their first acquisition during a crucial summer transfer window. After being released by Norwich City, United’s adversary in the Championship, the left-back is free to sign with any team. His contract at Carrow Road is set to expire at the end of this month.

McCallum, who is still only 23 years old, played 34 games for the Canaries the previous season, starting in both legs of their play-off semifinal matchup against Leeds, which ended with a 4-0 thumping at Elland Road in the second leg. After his team was already behind 3-0 when McCallum entered the game, he was told that his employment with the team would be ending this summer.

After rising through the ranks at Coventry City, McCallum moved to Norwich in 2020 for £3.5 million, then into the Premier League. At the time, McCallum was being watched by a number of clubs, including Leicester City, Leeds, and Liverpool, after he was noticed at an Academy trial two years prior. With any luck, he will be revealed as United’s first acquisition of what manager Chris Wilder has already called the most significant transfer window in the past ten years.

With Max Lowe being released this summer and Rhys Norrington-Davies receiving a one-year contract extension due to his recent injury concerns, the Blades are in need of left-back reinforcements. Yasser Larouci has returned to Troyes, and it is not unexpected that United did not exercise the eight-figure option to extend his loan. Ben Osborn, who can also play on the left side of defence, was released following an eleventh-hour contract change that United made earlier this summer.

After being released by Norwich City at the end of the season, left-back Sam McCallum is a free agent and is being pursued by Sheffield United, according to Alan Nixon. The 23-year-old appeared in 60 games for the Canaries overall, contributing two assists and one goal.

After being discharged from the Gillingham academy at the age of fifteen, he briefly considered a career in football to be more of a fantasy than a reality. After that, he would play in front of fewer than 300 fans for his hometown non-league team, Herne Bay FC. However, McCallum’s professional football career received a boost in 2018 when he became a part of Jamie Vardy’s “V9” academy.

For McCallum, “V9 felt like a revival,” he said to Sky Sports. “My housemate approached me after our showcase game in front of numerous scouts and informed me that Coventry was observing me.” I said, “This can’t be real.”

Several scouts were made aware of McCallum’s remarkable exploits in the V9 academy, although he would ultimately sign a contract to join Coventry City in 2018. Before receiving a transfer to Norwich City in the Premier League, he played in 84 games for Mark Robins’ squad.

McCallum’s statistics and what he could bring to Sheffield United

Sam McCallum can be used as a left wingback in a five-man formation or as a left back in a back four. He enjoys moving forward along the left side. Furthermore, despite his strong attacking work rate that has allowed him to get into some really promising positions, he has not contributed many goals or assists during his tenure at Norwich. In 27 league games last season, he scored just one goal and provided no assists. Is the problem with his final product, though?

He is a natural forward-runner, as evidenced by the number of touches he registers in the opposition penalty area (he is in the 75th percentile of all Championship full-backs in this category). Although his projected assists place him in the 76th percentile, his assists place him in the bottom 10% in the league. This implies that last season, forwards were attempting to get on the end of his passes but were missing them.

McCallum is in the 49th percentile when it comes to passing into the penalty area, but he seems to prefer carrying the ball there, scoring in the 83rd percentile.

McCallum is an intriguing potential on defence. Although Norwich supporters have often criticised him for his defensive effort rate, he does quite well on a number of categories. Although McCallum’s tackle totals are in the 50th percentile, it’s possible that he is well-positioned and doesn’t need to tackle as much as he does.

In the meantime, his interceptions and clearances rank in the 99th and 97th percentiles, respectively, which may further emphasise his excellent positional sense. In terms of aerials won, he also sits in the 99th percentile, which is something the Sheffield United defenders had trouble with the previous campaign.

Even if money is limited, Alan Biggs’ transfer to Sheffield United checks all the criteria.

In light of the increasing pressure on all clubs to adhere to spending regulations, it is challenging to define what constitutes a good deal. But if Villareal is willing to pay about £6 million for Ben Brereton Diaz, as is being reported, then that, in my opinion, is a bargain with a capital B.

Therefore, it was impossible to imagine Chris Wilder being uninterested in permanently returning the 25-year-old Villareal striker to Bramall Lane.

Oh, for a different place and time. A location that Sheffield United belongs. It makes perfect sense. Under typical conditions, that is. Could Wilder afford to do it? In the uncertainties of the takeover, does he even have one?

Though the purported price tag is unrealistically high, Brereton Diaz can probably be shrugged off as unrealistic at this time! Inertia kills in this situation. After scoring six goals in 14 Premier League games while on loan at United last season, BBD is sure to draw a lot of attention.

In the event that nothing goes wrong behind the scenes—buyouts can take a very long time—United would require one or more sales to get even £6 million. Stephen Bettis, the CEO, was candid enough to acknowledge this in his most recent in-depth letter to supporters.

The crucial query is: Is it possible for Wilder to begin acting as though a takeover won’t occur? Apparently not. Any other direction could be detrimental for the chances for the upcoming season. A “what if” scenario needs to be considered. Additionally, adding a player like Brereton Diaz would be a strong declaration of purpose. The value in this transaction also beyond the financial aspect.

He was already a standout performer in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers prior to his unfortunate transfer to Spain. In addition to his objectives, he offers leadership, energy, and an intense work ethic. It’s difficult to think of a better player at the top of the pitch among United’s rivals. So even if it means balancing the books later, I believe there’s a case to be made for going all in for him now.

You can’t count on the American consortium to pull through in whole, and it’s fascinating to read rumours that Prince Abdullah prefers to hold onto a portion, despite my repeated assertions that he doesn’t seem to be interested in selling.

That’s great with me, plus praise for a desire to back off—assuming sincere—that sounds good. assuming it’s not a 50/50 power split that isn’t feasible, like it was with longtime chairman Kevin McCabe before to their contentious courtroom separation. But intuition, past experience, and an elderly grump’s pessimism suggest that there might still be a long way to go in this relationship. In the meanwhile, Wilder needs to be given the freedom to lead the team.