Sheffield United line up Rubén Sellés to take over from Chris Wilder as manager

The Guardian

5 hours ago

Sheffield United's American owners have risked upsetting their fanbase after deciding to sack Chris Wilder and replace him with Rubén Sellés.
With confirmation of Wilder's departure expected shortly, United are believed to have entered advanced negotiations with Sellés, who was sacked by Hull last month.
The Spaniard was left bitterly disappointed by that, having narrowly kept the East Yorkshire side in the Championship after his appointment last December.
Wilder, too, is believed to be deeply upset by the decision of COH Sports, the consortium that owns United, to end his second spell in charge. He was contracted to 2028 and the delay in announcing his exit appears connected to negotiations regarding compensation.
Despite starting the past season with a two-point deduction for financial irregularities, the Blades remained in strong contention for automatic promotion until almost the end before losing the playoff final 2-1 to Sunderland.
Although much of the fanbase appeared in favour of retaining the 57-year-old, who led the Blades from League One to the Premier League in successive seasons during his first stint, Wilder is understood to have disagreed with the owners' enthusiasm for a heavily data-driven player recruitment system.
COH Sports took over last December after buying out Prince Abdullah and, by the end of January, were so impressed with Wilder they offered him a three year contract extension.
Sellés had brief spells in charge of Southampton and Reading after starting his coaching career in charge of Valencia University's first XI. Despite an ostensibly patchy managerial record, he has won plenty of admirers since arriving in England and is noted as a skilled developer of young players.