2 potential knock-on effects at Sheffield United as Blades seal Adlene Guedioura deal | OneFootball

Sheffield United have confirmed the signing of Algerian midfielder Adlene Guedioura.

Signing a one-year contract with The Blades, the 35-year-old has been training with the squad for several weeks.

Guedioura became a free agent this summer, following the expiration of his contract with Qatari club Al-Ghafara.

The defensive midfielder will be available for selection for Sheffield United’s home game against Preston North End tomorrow evening, and given that The Blades have three games in a week, and the fact that he has been training with The Blades for while, he could be fit to play a part.

Here, we take a look at two potential knock-on effects as Adlene Guedioura becomes a Blade…

Formation decision

The arrivals of Conor Hourihane and Morgan Gibbs-White suggest that Slavisa Jokanovic is looking to operate with more emphasis on central midfielders than wingers.

Now, with the addition of Guedioura, it appears that the Serb could be looking to implement a 4-4-2 diamond formation more often.

In Guedioura, Jokanovic has a player who can play at the base, whilst he can also operate as part of the two just ahead of him.

Then, he has a plethora of options, with the likes of John Fleck, Oliver Norwood, Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Hourihane, Sander Berge, Ben Osborn, and Luke Freeman, all options in the more advanced roles.

Given the talent that they possess in the middle of the park, it would be strange to see The Blades not implement a formation where they can use as many midfielders as possible.

A player that could start ahead of Oliver Norwood

Norwood has been an excellent servant to Sheffield United, and whilst he still has the ability to shine at Championship level, bringing in a holding midfielder like Guedioura could see his game time diminish.

John Fleck could also be at risk of dropping out if Guedioura can cement a regular starting spot in The Blades’ XI.

Norwood put in a strong performance against Peterborough, keeping the ball ticking and displaying his excellent range of passing to switch the play.

Given the talent that the Yorkshire club have in midfield areas, Guedioura will face stiff competition.

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