Chris Wilder very much has Sheffield United woven into his DNA, with the Blades boss a United player on two occasions during his playing days, on top of now also taking on the Bramall Lane reins the same amount of times.
He will be gunning for his third promotion at the helm come the end of this long and dramatic Championship campaign, with the South Yorkshire outfit in a healthy spot in the division to do just that, even with the demoralising 3-1 defeat to promotion rivals Leeds United still hurting.
Over the past couple of promotion stories, Wilder has relied on some lethal attackers to get his team over the line, away from the current crop of Tom Cannon and Co.
Down memory lane: Chris Wilder's best strikers at Sheffield United
Of course, no list chronicling some of the revered United manager’s best forwards would be complete without a mention of Blades icon Billy Sharp.
The EFL veteran – who has ten goals this season on the books of nearby Doncaster Rovers – would fire home a ridiculous 129 strikes from 377 United appearances, with his sublime 23 league strikes during the 2018/19 season getting his team over the line to move up to the top-flight.
Away from the much-adored 39-year-old, Wilder has also had the likes of Oli McBurnie and David McGoldrick to call upon down the years, with McGoldrick still firing in the goals for Notts County in the same division Sharp now plies his trade in.
Amazingly, the ageing attacker has 13 strikes in 26 games for the promotion-chasers during 2024/25, with his time in South Yorkshire seeing him bag a memorable 30 times from 136 outings.
McBurnie would blow hot and cold a lot for Wilder’s men, but the Scotsman’s heroics last campaign – even as the Blades sunk down to the Championship – saw him land a bold switch to Las Palmas out in Spain, having kept his head held high with six strikes from 26 league encounters.
But, there is another former face that is removed from this conversation unfortunately, having been sold on during the fledging stages of his Bramall Lane education by Wilder, before then becoming a top striker elsewhere.
The ex-Sheffield United attacker now worth 4175% more
Worth around £290k during the peak of his playing days in South Yorkshire – according to Transfermarkt – it’s fair to say Che Adams’ short but sweet stint with the Blades set him up for a path to stardom.
Adams would only don a United strip for 55 clashes before moving onto pastures at Birmingham City, but the former non-league hotshot would take the EFL by storm with 15 strikes across those games.
Fast forward to last season and it’s clear that the Scotsman has been able to cement himself as a deadly sharpshooter in the second tier, having fired home 15 total league goals for Southampton on the way to the Saints tasting promotion.
Amazingly, Serie A side Torino would come calling for the “terrific” forward – as he was once lauded by Ally McCoist – services after that, with Adams now worth way more than his once meagre £290k price tag since making this leap to Italy.
Stat
Adams
Games played
373
Goals scored
100
Assists
37
Career hat-tricks
3
Highest value at United
£290k
Value now
£12.4m
Percentage increase
4175%
As can be seen looking at the table above, Adams’ current inflated value stands at a way heftier £12.4m, with Torino winning themselves an outrageous steal, considering the 28-year-old joined on a free transfer.
Still, when weighing up his £290k price tag next to his new £12.4m valuation, that is a percentage increase of 4175%, with Adams settling in well to his new environment in Turin with eight strikes coming his way during 2024/25 to date.
In another reality, United might well have kept a firmer grip on Adams for longer, but Wilder will hope his camp at it is can triumphantly win promotion.
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