SHEFFIELD UNITED’S owner confirmed Chris Wilder is the new manager on live national radio – BEFORE officially sacking Paul Heckingbottom.
Blades chief Prince Abdullah appeared on talkSPORT this morning.
GettyPaul Heckingbottom has been replaced before formally being dismissed[/caption]
GettySheffield United owner Prince Abdullah revealed the news on talkSPORT[/caption]
SunSport revealed yesterday morning that Heckingbottom’s time was up and that the man he initially replaced at Bramall Lane, Wilder, would come back to fill the void.
But with no official announcement communicated by the club, Prince Abdullah was asked about the managerial situation at Bramall Lane.
And the Saudi owner confirmed Wilder’s return.
Prince Abdullah told Jim White and Simon Jordan: “Yes [I have made the decision].
“Chris is practically an honour of the club, he’s part of Sheffield United history.
“One thing I always like to do, not just in football but all of my businesses, is to keep a good relationship with my ex-employees no matter how it ended, I think you should get over it.
“At the end of the day we’re all passionate about what we do and we believe Chris is the right man for the job.
“Chris has done great things for the club and in my opinion he’s the best guy on planet earth to take over the club right now in these circumstances.
“Chris is very optimistic he can save the season, he doesn’t think it’s easy, but he thinks it’s still possible.
“When you look at the table it’s a very special year, a very weird year when it comes to the standings, so it’s still early, the season is still long and we have every chance to achieve our goals.”
Former Blades defender Wilder was manager from 2016 to 2021, leading the club into the Premier League.
However, upon his dismissal in March 2021, Heckingbottom took over until the end of the season as United were relegated.
Slavisa Jokanovic had a short stint in charge but Heckingbottom returned on a permanent deal in November 2021 and earned promotion last season.
But a tough start to the campaign has seen the Yorkshire side pick up just one win and two draws from 14 games to sit rock bottom of the Premier League table – with Liverpool visiting Bramall Lane tomorrow night.
The 11 defeats include 5-0 thrashings against Arsenal and relegation rivals Burnley – as well as an 8-0 mauling at home to Newcastle.
There were chants of “Hecky out” at Turf Moor on Saturday in the match that proved the final straw.
Now Prince Abdullah insists he had to make the change to give Sheffield United the best chance of staying in the top flight – with Wilder available after leaving Watford at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The owner added: “I have mixed emotions about letting Paul go.
“I really have a lot of respect for Paul and everything he did for the club, he’s a very classy guy.
“I’ve been at the club for five years and we changed one manager and that was Slav [Slavisa Jokanovic], so we believe in sticking with the manager and supporting him.
“But I felt like after the last few games it was a necessary decision and the replacement has done great things for the clubs and knows the club, so I feel good about the decision in one way but I really have a tremendous respect for Paul.”
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