Each year, the January transfer window can be a time of excitement for fans of many clubs – the chance of bringing in some fresh faces to bolster the squad can make or break a season for many. In some cases, no new players are brought in – Liverpool and Arsenal, for example, seem happy enough with their respective squads going into the second half of the season. On the other hand, some clubs deem it necessary to bring in several new names – either to improve squad quality or to simply add squad depth. In the 2024 January transfer window, Burnley made more signings than any other Premier League club, with Vincent Kompany’s side recruiting no fewer than seven signings.
One club that was especially active in the winter window in terms of bringing in players to have an impact this season was Sheffield United. Their fight against relegation has been well established in our recent analysis of Sheffield United. Chris Wilder set out in January to bring in fresh players to give his club a better shot at survival. This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of the four players the Blades brought in during the January window and how they could fit into Wilder’s tactics.
Ivo Grbić
Croatian goalkeeper Ivo Grbić joined the Blades from Spanish giants Atlético Madrid near the end of January for a reported £2.13m and was signed to bolster Wilder’s options in goal following inconsistency from Wes Foderingham. Standing at 6’4, he brings a significant presence between the sticks and arrives with experience from leagues around Europe.
As you may imagine, his time with Atlético saw him operate as an understudy to one of the world’s top goalkeepers – Jan Oblak, which is why Grbić only featured in 14 fixtures since his arrival in 2020. In the 2021/22 campaign, the Croatian international (two caps) spent a season on loan with Ligue 1 club Lille, where he featured 29 times in all competitions, including six UEFA Champions League appearances. Grbić’s career started in Croatia’s top tier with Hajduk Split before moving to fellow Croatian club NK Lokomotiva. Grbić has already featured for the Blades in the EPL since his arrival – their 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, but of course, he suffered an injury which resulted in his league debut being cut short and then had to follow concussion protocol, meaning he missed United’s 5-0 defeat to Aston Villa and their 3-1 win at Luton Town.
The comparison graph above shows us what we can expect from the big Croatian and why he may just be a more solid option than Foderingham for the upcoming relegation battle. After all, manager Chris Wilder confirmed to the media that going forward, Grbić will be the Blades’ number-one keeper for the remainder of the campaign (when available).
Grbić failed to make an appearance for his former club this season before his move to England, so we’ve used his data from last season to compare to Foderingham’s performance this campaign. Last season, the Croatian made 12 La Liga appearances in Oblak’s absence and gave a fantastic impression of himself, posting high percentile rankings in key areas like save rate %, and goals conceded per 90 (within this metric, a higher percentile rank means a lower number of goals conceded). Impressively, he boasted La Liga’s highest register for goals prevented per 90, keeping out 0.37 per 90 – an indication of his strong calibre.
His activity in terms of leaving his line and dealing with danger outside of the box is evidenced by the data visual above, which tells us he is more active in this regard compared to Foderingham – especially when it comes to defensive actions taken outside of the box.
His high percentile rank for exits per 90 in the previous graph may have tipped you off about this next point, but Grbić has something of a tendency to come off his line to engage with opponents and attempt to clear up the danger, a skill that, besides the technical components involved, requires confidence and decision-making abilities. His average of 1.72 exits per 90 last season was La Liga’s seventh-highest register that campaign.
This was a signing that not many people saw coming, but one that could be a masterstroke from Wilder if Grbić can contribute to Sheffield United’s bid at the great escape.
Mason Holgate
This is a name that English football fans will be more familiar with – the Everton loanee has made a total of 128 Premier League appearances to date. Holgate, a 6’1 centre-back, has a chance to reestablish himself as a Premier League-level player after falling down the pecking order at Goodison Park, making just eight league appearances last season. Earlier this season, he was on loan at Championship promotion contenders Southampton, where he made five appearances.
This graph shows us how Holgate contributed to Everton’s 2022/23 Premier League campaign, with a few key areas to highlight. You may notice his high percentile rank for defensive duels per 90, of which he averaged 7.91 per 90 last season, showing a good level of engagement. However, his low win rate of 56% raises a few eyebrows and saw him rank very low in the percentiles – his success rates in this area were higher in recent seasons, though, so he may have something to offer the Blades at the back in that regard.
He also offered some positive attacking traits for the Toffees last season, evidenced by his high percentile ranks for dangerous passes per 90 and expected goal contributions per 90. Scoring goals or creating chances is not often high on the list of priorities when considering the signing of a centre-back, but it sure is a welcome bonus!
In terms of how he might fit into Sheffield United’s tactics and lineup, Holgate seems to have already become an important part of Wilder’s plans, featuring in their most two recent EPL games – both at RCB as part of a back five. Holgate may not have been the first name on Blades fans’ lips if you asked them which defender they wanted to bring in last month, but it’s essential to consider elements like his EPL experience and ability as well as the limitations Wilder faced in terms of budget and player availability within the market.
The Blades recently picked up a huge win over relegation rivals Luton, with Holgate playing his part. The defender showed a good level of aggression in the various areas of his defensive work; you see one of them in the image above. Luton striker Carlton Morris dropped into that gap to receive the ball from the winger, aiming to execute a one-two combination. However, Holgate demonstrated good awareness and reactions to step out and engage Morris, blocking his attempted return pass, which was destined to go into a dangerous area.
Sam Curtis
This signing was made with the long-term future in mind. 18-year-old right-back Sam Curtis arrived at Bramall Lane from Irish club St. Patrick’s Athletic, who also lost another promising defensive prospect last month in Jay McGrath, who joined Doncaster Rovers. Officially, Curtis has joined United’s U21 squad, so first-team football is unlikely this season, but not impossible!
Also capable as a centre-back, Curtis is a Republic of Ireland U21 international and, despite his young age, managed to amass 60 first-team appearances for St. Patricks and played in four UEFA Conference League qualifier games for the club.
His percentile chart from 2023 paints the picture of a full-back with a well-rounded skill set, which bodes well for him in terms of having a future in elite-level football, as it will allow him to fulfil more roles. Already standing at nearly 6’1 and with room to grow over the next 2-3 years, Curtis could develop into a real physical asset in defence.
When we mentioned his ability to play as CB as well as his preferred position as a full-back, we meant it – of the 60 games he played in Ireland, 25 of them came as a central defender, indicating that he earned the manager’s trust to play him there on a regular basis when needed. His high percentile ranks for both engagement and success with defensive duels is a huge positive – regardless of whether he plays as a CB or RB. He’s also not afraid to attempt a dribble, as evidenced by his high percentile rank: last year, he averaged 2.76 dribbles per 90, finding success 59.5% of the time.
Don’t be surprised to see Curtis make a loan move to an EFL club in the summer, especially if the Blades manage to evade the drop into the Championship. On the other hand, though, he may be called upon in what remains of this season in the event of an injury/suspension, etc., if depth or cover is needed in Sheffield United’s defensive ranks.
Ben Brereton-Díaz
The most high-profile signing made by Sheffield United this past transfer window is another very clever move by the Blades – their second signing from La Liga in the same window! Chile international Brereton-Díaz dazzled the Championship last season with 17 G/A playing mostly as a winger (not primarily as a CF as he is often mistaken to be) before earning a move to La Liga club Villareal. The winger made 14 appearances in the league this season, but most of them were substitute appearances – many of them being 10/15-minute cameos. A move away seemed inevitable, and a move back to England seemed logical. He has already made a strong impact at United, scoring twice in three EPL games.
Brereton-Díaz brings a physical and aggressive presence to the flanks, something full-backs in the Premier League aren’t all that used to. His attacking engagement is what Wilder will look to utilise the most in the remaining games Brereton-Díaz has in his loan spell at the club, with the Chile winger possessing the ability to score seemingly difficult chances and cause havoc within the penalty area.
A lot of Brereton-Díaz’s time with Villareal was spent playing centre-forward cameos, so it was difficult for him to impact a game utilising his individual abilities. Meanwhile, so far for the Blades, he has spent a lot of time playing on the left flank. As a winger especially, he possesses the trait of being able to make something happen out of nothing. The example above captures that – a long ball forward from Foderingham and Brereton-Díaz has a chance to utilise his strength & physicality against the Villa defender. This allowed Brereton-Díaz to guard the ball as it passed the Villa defender and into the control of Brereton-Díaz with space ahead of him down the flank.
He followed that up by showing good awareness and vision, seeing the inside run of another red & white shirt, and executing a well-placed pass into space inside the box, allowing the Blades to create an early chance on goal. Arguably, no other players in that squad could’ve turned Foderingham’s long kick into an opportunity on goal so quickly.
His first goal for Sheffield United was special and consisted of some trademark Brereton-Díaz magic. The move starts with a mesmeric pass from Gustavo Hamer and a noteworthy point about Brereton-Díaz’s positioning – his side have the ball in a transition yet is still sat on the opposite touchline, which is almost certainly an individual instruction from Wilder to benefit the team’s attacking tactics. Brereton-Díaz receives the ball, drives forward without even thinking about it, and angles his dribble inside before unleashing a clinical strike past the Crystal Palace keeper. It’s that type of quality that Sheffield United have missed prior to Brereton-Díaz’s arrival.
Conclusion
With 14 games left, a horrid goal difference, and seven points separating Sheffield United between themselves and Premier League safety. It’s a massive task – the recent win over Luton could be the start of a purple patch that leads to a miraculous escape; it could also be too little too late.
Regardless, January was a positive window for the Blades. It could be argued that they could’ve done with a couple more signings, but we all know things aren’t always that simple in football – so we chose to focus on the players they did sign. Signing a better goalkeeper was an excellent move for the Blades – if Grbić can make a strong return from injury, that is. Holgate adds some Premier League experience to proceedings at the back and could prove to be a worthwhile signing.
At the same time, Brereton-Díaz is likely going to be a key player in anything positive Sheffield United do in the remaining months of the 23/24 season.
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