Sheffield United can finally axe Robinson in swoop for star with "hunger"
da bet esporte： Sheffield United head into this afternoon’s clash with Blackburn Rovers at Bramall Lane knowing that the result of the match is largely irrelevant to them.
da jogodeouro： The Blades have already finished in third place in the Championship and will head into the play-offs with the aim of gaining promotion back to the Premier League.
Irrespective of whether or not Chris Wilder and his men achieve that goal, Sheffield United are likely to be in the market to bolster their squad in the summer transfer window, and that could be bad news for club captain Jack Robinson.
Why Sheffield United need to upgrade on Jack Robinson
The long-serving defender, who has been at the club since his move from Nottingham Forest in 2020, has been a regular starter in the Championship this term.
Robinson has started 31 of his 34 appearances in the division, but has had some struggles of late. The 31-year-old dud lost three of his four ground duels and five of his eight aerial battles in the disappointing 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle.
Wilder dropped him for the following game against Cardiff and it led to a 2-0 win over the Bluebirds, before he came back into the team for a 2-1 defeat to Burnley.
This suggests that Robinson, who has given away two penalties and made one error that directly led to a goal this season, is a player whom the club could improve upon in the summer transfer window.
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It was recently reported that Sheffield United are one of the teams, alongside Middlesbrough and Norwich City, interested in a deal to sign Oxford United centre-back Ciaron Brown, who could come in as an upgrade on Robinson.
Why Ciaron Brown would be an upgrade on Jack Robinson
Wilder could finally move on from the English defender as a regular starter and ditch him from the side by swooping to sign the Oxford United star this summer.
Firstly, Brown could provide more of a goal threat from the centre-back position. The left-footed defender has scored four goals and provided three assists in 41 matches in the league this season, compared to Robinson’s zero goals and zero assists in 34 games.
The Oxford United colossus, who former manager Gary Holt claimed has “real hunger”, could also be more reliable in his defensive work, as he has not made a single error that has led to a shot, goal, or penalty for the opposition this season.
24/25 Championship
Ciaron Brown
Jack Robinson
Appearances
41
34
Goals
4
0
Tackles + interceptions per game
1.9
1.8
Clearances per game
6.3
4.8
Ground duel success rate
66%
72%
Aerial duel success rate
67%
61%
Error led to shot, goal, or penalty
0
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Brown has the beating of Robinson in several key defensive statistics, whilst also providing a greater goal threat from set plays, which suggests that he could prevent Michael Cooper from being worked as much by making vital clearances, tackles, and interceptions.
He is also four years younger than the Sheffield United man and could, therefore, be a longer-term option for Wilder in the left-sided centre-back role.
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This is why the Blades must pursue a deal for the Oxford United brute in the summer transfer window because they could improve their play at both ends of the pitch by ditching Robinson to bring Brown into their starting XI next term, whether that is as a Premier League or a Championship club.
