"Certainly no Harry Souttar replacement" - Sheffield United reaction issued to Swansea City transfer link | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United pundit believes Darling adds depth, but isn't a like-for-like replacement for Leicester loanee

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Since Harry Souttar's season-ending achilles injury against Burnley on Boxing Day, transfer attention has focused towards how Sheffield United will go about bringing in defensive reinforcements.

The promotion-chasing Blades have been reportedly looking into a move for Swansea centre-back Harry Darling, according to The Sheffield Star.

This comes after previous links to Premier League duo Michael Keane of Everton, as per the Sheffield Star, and Luke Woolfenden of Ipswich Town, as per TWTD, surfaced earlier in the January transfer window, as well as FLW exclusively reporting that QPR's Jimmy Dunne is on the radar too.

Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson are currently holding down the two centre-back positions at Bramall Lane, but Darling is one of many defenders who is being eyed up by Chris Wilder and co for the remainder of the season and potentially beyond.

Sheffield United fan pundit unconvinced by potential Harry Darling signing

We spoke to our Sheffield United fan pundit, Jimmy from The Blades Ramble YouTube channel, about what he thought about the prospect of Swansea defender Darling arriving at the club, but it has not been greeted with much enthusiasm, with better targets said to be out there, although he would be welcomed as a fresh addition when it's all said and done.

"I don't mind Harry Darling as a signing. I'm not overly excited about it and I don't think he improves us that much," Jimmy told FLW.

"We are lacking depth in that position though, so as a decent Championship centre-back, it's a decent move for us, particularly if we can get him at a decent value.

"I'd be more interested in players we have been linked with recently like Michael Keane, Jimmy Dunne and Luke Woolfenden. They jump out more than Harry Darling.

"But, it's another permanent signing, hopefully. So, let's get him in and hopefully, he can do the business, but he's certainly no Harry Souttar replacement - a completely different type of player."

Harry Darling would bring something different to Sheffield United's defensive unot

Any defender who arrives at Sheffield United towards the back end of this window will be questioned about whether they will provide a similar output to injured Leicester City loanee Harry Souttar.

Darling has thrived in the Luke Williams possession-based system this season, averaging in the top 10 per cent of players in his position for touches, passes and chance creation - according to FotMob.

Souttar, on the other hand, is one of the premium defensive centre-backs in the league, averaging a higher percentage of his duels won both in the air and on the ground when compared to Darling.

Clearly, both defenders excel at different parts of the game. Sheffield United fans will be hopeful that if a signing is made, Darling can step up into the pressures that come with a Championship title push - something he lacks experience in comparison to other linked centre-backs as well as the current crop of central defenders at Bramall Lane.