Don’t believe everything you read 👀

The Shoreham Journal says…

Having missed out on promotion, there’s a good chance Premier League clubs will try to sign Sheffield United’s brightest stars this summer.

Gus Hamer, Anel Ahmedhodžić and Vini Souza are the most at risk of leaving Bramall Lane, with the Blades able to command an eight-figure transfer fee for all of those players. Rumours will be circulating over the coming weeks and months, many of which will be false.

And the first of those rumours dropped earlier this week, with one Spanish newspaper claiming that Souza is “ready to take the next step” and “wants to prove his worth” ahead of next year’s World Cup. That next step would be a move to the Premier League or La Liga.

If Souza does leave Bramall Lane this summer, it will come as no surprise to anyone. The former Espanyol midfielder was excellent this season and, at 25, will surely get another shot at top-flight football in the near future.

But there were a few issues with this newspaper report, courtesy of AS. It’s unlikely he’ll get in the Brazil squad, even if he’s a Premier League star again come September. Souza is a fabulous player, but he’s no Bruno Guimarães.

AS also claims that United fans have their own song for Souza: “Come on Vini Souza, join our party.” Sorry, lads, but the song goes: “Come on Vini Souza, join us in the boozer.”

Maybe boozer doesn’t translate into Spanish, unless you’re in Benidorm or Magaluf.

But the biggest problem with the report is that it TWICE gets United mixed up with their biggest rivals. Souza apparently failed to secure “promotion with Sheffield Wednesday” and even earned the nickname “Mister Consistency” over at Hillsborough.

In fairness to AS, Souza was excellent in the 1-0 victory against Wednesday at Bramall Lane last November.

As this story on Souza proves, don’t believe everything you read.

If you’d like to give your thoughts on the matter, please write to me using this form 🧑‍💻

First bit of business 🙏

The first thing Chris Wilder should do this summer is sign Hamza Choudhury.

United’s squad is much stronger with him in it. The 27-year-old played a key role in the second half of the campaign, featuring in all but one game since completing a January loan move from Leicester, usually as a starter.

Choudhury was arguably United’s best choice at right-back, despite the emergence of Femi Seriki, and he did an excellent job at replacing Vini Souza in defensive midfield when the Brazilian was unavailable.

As reported by LeicestershireLive, the Blades have the option to make Choudhury’s loan permanent. While he’s still got two years left on his Leicester contract, he’s struggled to hold down a starting spot with the Foxes, previously spending time on loan at Burton and Watford.

hamzachoudhury

A post shared by @hamzachoudhury

After their relegation from the Premier League, Leicester may want to keep hold of Choudhury, who is undoubtedly an accomplished player at that level. The Loughborough-born star is also a local lad in the East Midlands, having joined Leicester’s academy as a seven-year-old in 2005.

But if he wants a fresh start, it makes perfect sense for him to return to Bramall Lane. Choudhury has clearly fallen in love with the Blades, based on his recent Instagram post.

“I want to thank everyone associated with Sheffield United, the gaffer and his staff, all my team-mates, and to every single fan for making my time so memorable here!” Choudhury wrote, “I’ve loved being able to play and represent this special club! UTB.”

That could be seen as a farewell, but it could also be seen as a come-and-get-me plea. Let’s hope it’s the latter.

In other news 🗞️

📰 The Blades have published their retained list following the end of the 2024-25 season. Rhian Brewster is the only player out of contract, but talks are underway over a new deal, while Jack Robinson has made enough appearances to automatically trigger a one-year extension.

👋 Development squad members Harry Boyes, Ethan Cummings, Mekhi Haughton-Parris and Henry Molyneux have all been released, as have second-year scholars Noah Kiwomya and Jaye Long.

💥 United’s board have released a statement following the play-off final defeat, insisting they are determined to “end the cycle of boom and bust” and ensure the Blades “compete in the Premier League on a regular basis”.

👨‍💻 The board - consisting of Steven Rosen, Helmy Eltoukhy, Joe Russo, Len Komoroski, Terry Ahern, Pejman Nozad and Stephen Bettis - want to “modernise every single aspect” of the club and will be “using data and analytics far more effectively to recruit the best and brightest talent”.

🙌 They also want to “transform player welfare and medical care” and “significantly upgrade the training ground and player facilities”. The board’s full statement can be found on the club’s website.

👀 Premier League trio Leeds, Brentford and Fulham are interested in signing Hamer, according to EFL Analysis. The 27-year-old, who was signed from Coventry for £15 million in 2023, is expected to be in demand this summer after being named the Championship Player of the Year. Everton have also been linked with him in recent weeks.

🗣️ In a more positive Hamer update, the midfielder said before the play-off final that he would “like to add a promotion to my CV” after losing at Wembley with Coventry two years ago. The Blades are expected to be one of the favourites for promotion next season, especially if Hamer stays.

🫡 Furthermore, The Star understands that United will stand their ground if they receive any offers for Hamer and not sell him on the cheap.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Adam Davies and Kieffer Moore have been included in the Wales squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium.

✅ StokeonTrentLive has published every Championship free agent ahead of the summer window. It’s an interesting read for United fans!