Paul Heckingbottom has reportedly been sacked by Sheffield United after strings of poor results at the club.
The 46-year-old has become the first manager to be axed in the 2023/24 Premier League season. Reports have emerged that he is set to be replaced by Chris Wilder, who led the Blades for five years.
How Has Sheffield United Fared This Season?
United, who have only won once this season, are currently at the bottom of the table after suffering a humiliating 5-0 loss at Burnley last weekend. In 14 league games, the Blades have also conceded a league-high 39 goals.
Heckingbottom has performed admirably at Bramall Lane in spite of difficulties. Despite several off-field problems, he guided United to promotion from the Championship during the previous campaign.
The Englishman also had to deal with the unexpected departures of Sander Berge, who signed with Burnley on the eve of the new season. And prized assets Iliman Ndiaye, the team’s talisman in the last campaign, to Marseille.
Following the defeat at Burnley, Heckingbottom accused United of “making financial decisions rather than football decisions.”
His team was down to 10 players after Oli McBurnie was sent off for two bookable offenses. He made a reference in their 3-1 loss to Bournemouth last month.
“You go through the last four windows and we’ve been cutting the wage bill, transfer embargoes, selling the best assets, and they’ve spent £200m.”
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According to Yahoo Sport, Sheffield United will most likely reappoint Wilder as their next boss. The 56-year-old has a point to prove for the team he played for in his youth. After leading the Blades into the Premier League in 2019, he became a hero.
However, in 2021, he departed by mutual consent due to a drop in performance and outcomes. After a challenging tenure at Middlesbrough, he failed to inspire a push for promotion and was fired by Watford at the end of last season.
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