'Few clubs had a better transfer window than the Blades'

Few, if any clubs, will have had a better January transfer window - on paper - than Sheffield United.

The club's new American owners COH Sports arrived at Bramall Lane just before Christmas with a commitment to supporting the management team after a strong start to the season.

The short-term priorities were clear; a new contract for Chris Wilder, whose deal was up at the end of the season, and new signings to improve the team and add the squad depth that was missing at the end of the summer.

Many supporters will have been sceptical - and with good reason given previous transfer windows - but the new owners have delivered, with Wilder's services secured until 2028 and seven new signings, including most of the club's top targets.

Ben Brereton Diaz, Tom Cannon, Hamza Choudhury, Harry Clarke and Rob Holding tick the areas and numbers Wilder talked about at the start of January in attack, midfield and defence.

There was even time on deadline day for a surprise double signing as the owners' new data-driven transfer strategy delivered Jefferson Caceres from Peru and Christian Nwachukwu from the Bulgarian top flight.

A few weeks ago, the Blades' bench was filled with academy players. Now Wilder and his staff have the headache they wanted.

With players coming back from injury, coupled with the new additions, the resources are in place to push for an immediate return to the Premier League.