Paul Heckingbottom offers insight into Sheffield United recruitment stance

Sheffield United had a strong season this year and although they put up a good fight, they will have been disappointed not to have made it to the play-off final.

That being said, attention will now be on next season and Paul Heckingbottom will be looking to make the right additions to his team this summer to allow them to compete at the top of the table and search for promotion.

However, it’s not just about recruitment as retention is just as vital with some important players in the side such as Billy Sharp and Chris Basham who have had their contracts extended.

Despite being 33-years-old, Basham is still one of the best defenders in the Blades team and that was reflected in his two year extension with the club.

United boss Heckingbottom has argued that this wasn’t just done with the focus on promotion and now but also with a long term vision in mind as he seeks to build a sustainable model as he told Yorkshire Live: “If I wanted to be selfish all my decisions would be about next season. If it was just about my win ration all my decisions would be about give me the best players to win as many matches as possible. I will just be working for next season and that’s it, done.

“But it’s not. The role is more important than that and has been asked to be in terms of making better decisions for the club longer term.

“You want to start signing players in key positions and look at your succession plan and where the gaps are in the squad. The big one, and I am really pleased the board understood the importance, is signing Bash on a two-year deal rather that just activating his option.

“We have tow years now to recruit the next one. The one who can go past him. The one who can compete. The one who can be developed.

“These are the