Despite Sheffield United’s success on the pitch this season, with their return to the Premier League and a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, there has been uncertainty off the pitch. The English Football League (EFL) placed a transfer embargo on the club in January due to a breach of rule 52.2.3 concerning the default of payments to another club, which was only lifted last week. Saudi Arabian owner Prince Abdullah has been the sole owner of the Bramall Lane club since winning a High Court battle with previous chairman Kevin McCabe in September 2019, and he has stated that his intention is still to sell the club. He told Talksport: “To sell is my intention but nothing is guaranteed. I’m not going to sell to just anybody. I care about who owns the club next.”
It was reported that a £115m deal to take over the club had been agreed before Christmas last year with Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi, but Prince Abdullah has said that this is now “unlikely”. He added: “I can’t say it’s off but I think maybe now it’s unlikely. But everything is open. I can’t comment more than that. If we reach a decision, I want it to be before we start preparations for the next season. It can’t affect the team next year. It has to be done now. If we are in the club, we are going to manage it the best we can.”
Prince Abdullah also highlighted the importance of having a good owner at the top of the club, saying: “The most important decision in any club is not hiring the right manager or the right players, it starts from the top. If the owner is a bad owner it can drive everything eventually to the ground.” He concluded by saying that he hopes to have a decision on the sale of the club within the next four weeks, so that it does not affect the team’s preparations for next season.