Sheffield United finished 13th in the Championship last season. They went through two managers. They lost six games on the spin under Ruben Selles before bringing Chris Wilder back to steady the ship. They ended the campaign 30 points below what they managed the previous year.
And now they want to sign Ben Brereton Diaz.
Take a moment with that.
A club in no position to be picky
To be fair to Sheffield United, Brereton Diaz had a decent season at Derby County. He made 40 appearances for John Eustace's side, scoring eight goals and adding three assists. That is a reasonable return for a Championship forward, and nobody is pretending otherwise.
The Derby numbers look fine. They do not look like the numbers of a player who transforms a club's fortunes. And Sheffield United need transformation, not fine.
The Blades face their summer rebuild without parachute payments, having already exhausted them, which severely limits their ability to compete in the transfer market.
Their own fan pundit put it diplomatically, suggesting the wages might be a problem. That is one way of framing it.
Southampton hold all the cards
Brereton Diaz is contracted to Southampton until June 2028. His loan at Derby expires this summer, and he returns to St Mary's. Southampton will set the price. Southampton will choose the buyer.
A club that just lost its promotion through spygate and needs every penny it can generate this summer is not going to hand Brereton Diaz to Sheffield United on the cheap. His market value sits at around €6 million according to Transfermarkt. That is approximately £5.1 million.
Can Sheffield United afford £5.1 million without parachute payments, having just finished 13th and rebuilding their entire squad? The question answers itself.
The Blades fan pundit admitted as much, noting that whether the club could compete with the wages being sought was not something he could guarantee.
Brereton Diaz deserves better than returning to a club in rebuilding mode with reduced resources and uncertain ambitions. He is 27, a Chilean international and still very much in the prime years of his career.
Southampton should hold firm, demand a fair price and let the market do the talking this summer.
Sheffield United wanting him back is flattering. It is also largely irrelevant.
The phone call will be welcome. Cashing Sheffield United's cheque is another matter entirely.
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