Exclusive: Michael Brown Assesses Sheffield United’s Play-Off Hopes and Transfer Window Plans

Sheffield United’s 2025/26 Championship campaign has been anything but straightforward. After narrowly missing out on a return to the Premier League last season, falling to Sunderland in the Wembley play-off final, the Blades began this term as one of the division’s promotion favourites.

That optimism quickly unravelled following a disastrous summer managerial appointment. Highly rated Spaniard Rubén Sellés failed to pick up a single point from the club’s opening six league fixtures, prompting the board to turn back to familiar territory by reappointing Chris Wilder, the man they had previously dismissed.

Since Wilder’s return, results have stabilised, though not without setbacks. A chaotic Boxing Day collapse at Wrexham saw the Blades throw away a 3-1 lead to lose 5-3, while this weekend’s defeat at Charlton was compounded by red cards for captain Japhet Tanganga and Senegalese midfielder Djibril Soumaré.

Despite those blips, Sheffield United’s recent form has quietly improved. Over the last 10 league matches, only Ipswich Town and Millwall have accumulated more points than Wilder’s side, a sign that momentum may finally be building.

With that in mind, we caught up with Sheffield United icon Michael Brown, who shared his verdict on the club’s current situation, their promotion prospects, and what he expects from Wilder during the January transfer window.

Can the Blades Still Make the Playoffs?

Currently sitting 11 points adrift of the play-off places, Brown admits it will be a significant challenge for Sheffield United to force their way into the top six. Although, he believes the manager in the dugout gives them a fighting chance.

Brown did, however, draw comparisons between this current Sheffield United side and Nottingham Forest’s 2021/22 team, the same Forest outfit that knocked the Blades out on penalties in last season’s Championship play-off semi-finals.

That Forest side endured a dreadful start to the campaign, collecting just one point from their opening seven games before replacing Chris Hughton with Steve Cooper, a move that sparked a dramatic turnaround and ultimately delivered promotion.

“I think it's still a tall order, but I think if any manager can get them on the right track [it’s Wilder],” Brown told SportsBoom.co.uk. 

“We've seen Nottingham Forest come late, beat Sheff Utd in the playoffs. I feel Sheff Utd can hit that later on.”

“I feel you get January out of the way; you see what squad improvements you can have. It's on. It's going to be tough.”

“It'll be an incredible achievement if he can make a jump in the back end.”

“But it's just about now continuity. Keep winning games wherever you can, keep building and trying to build a squad.”

“And if it's not meant to be this year, Chris [Wilder] can start it off at a more balanced rate than coming back in after our poor run results.”

Free Agents Making a Difference

If Sheffield United are to mount a late play-off push, Brown believes their upturn in form could be linked to the winter arrivals of Jaïro Riedewald and Patrick Bamford.

The experienced duo was signed as free agents outside the traditional transfer window back in November, and Brown feels their presence has had a positive impact both on and off the pitch.

“Riedewald and Bamford have been good. They bring experience, that’s what they bring having been around the Premier League.”

“There’s nothing better when some people come into the dressing room and mix it up.”

Credit: Getty Images

January Priorities and Squad Building

Looking at the ongoing transfer window, Brown feels Wilder has already addressed one of the squad’s key weaknesses by adding competition at right-back, with Wolves defender Ki-Jana Hoever arriving to support young Femi Seriki.

Beyond that, Brown wouldn’t be surprised to see further reinforcements, particularly in central defence and attack, with three or four additions expected overall.

“He needed to do a right back, he’s done that. So, they’ve got experience there straight away now, there’s a bit of competition. That was one of the main areas.”

“Central defence, he might be looking to see if he can still do something there. Ben Mee’s come back in from injury.”

“We always want a striker, don't we? We always want somebody there, a bit of magic.”

“He’s got his targets, he’ll bring in another three or four, that’s not being unrealistic. Hopefully he can get the right quality and right characters in the dressing room.”

Gustavo Hamer and the Road Back to His Best

Brown also offered a measured response to recent speculation surrounding Gustavo Hamer’s future at the club.

The Championship Player of the Season last term has yet to consistently reach those heights this campaign, but Brown believes the disruption caused by the managerial change has played a major role and expects Hamer to rediscover his form under Wilder.

“He’s a great player Gus isn’t he. His manager knows him really well, he’s got great quality.”

“We haven’t seen the best of him this season because of the managerial change, but he can unlock defences. We saw what he did in the playoffs and what he did all last year. Championship player of the year, he’s a wonderful player and he seems to be just getting back into the running,” he concluded. 

Michael Brown was speaking exclusively to SportsBoom on behalf of Midnite, club sponsors of Sheffield United and Southampton, as it brings back The Midnite Express which will see over 100 Blades fans travel to St Mary’s on luxury coaches free of charge for their Championship clash on Wednesday, January 21.

Midnite continues to bring fans closer to the teams they love with exciting partner initiatives.