Sheffield United’s Championship season may be divided into two sections, with the Steel City club reverting to a more stable state under the leadership of boyhood Blade Chris Wilder.

The 58-year-old has seen it all at Bramall Lane during his three separate managerial stints at the club, for which he is well-known, and he believes United can end a two-season Premier League exile at the end of the current second-tier season.

After starting the season under Ruben Selles, who was brought in as an initial long-term replacement for Wilder by the club’s American ownership group, COH Sports, the Sheffield native was quickly reappointed after only six matches in all competitions, after the Blades had lost every game under the Spaniard.

Since then, they have been able to firmly steer themselves away from a potentially disastrous season of fending off a potential first relegation to League One in nine years, and despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Coventry City on Wednesday night, they still have a slim chance of reaching the play-offs for a second consecutive term due to the highly congested nature of the Championship table as we head into the final stretch.

While the opportunity to complete a remarkable rapid turnaround in fortunes in S2 will undoubtedly be Wilder’s top priority, it is fair to say that transfer speculation has never been far from the United squad in recent times, as evidenced by the recently closed winter transfer window.

Although it is unclear which division the Blades will play in at the start of next season, it is clear and understandable that the man in the dugout wants to keep several of his key attacking players at Bramall Lane for years to come, in moves that could put an end to constant speculation about their immediate and long-term futures.

Chris Wilder reveals Sheffield United’s contract update on the attacking quintet that includes Gus Hamer.

Wilder informed The Star that discussions with Femi Seriki and Andre Brooks are still underway after the pair drew interest from teams including Everton and Club Brugge last month, but neither deal materialised.

“No, it’s on,” replied Wilder. “The owners will be over in the next few days, so we should have pleasant talks with them about what we discussed.

“We have a lot going for us, and the first priority is to look after and protect ourselves with two fantastic possibilities. They have an option in there, but we shouldn’t use it, and I’m sure there will be negotiations on Wednesday to see where we stand in terms of extending those players’ contracts,” he said.

He also mentioned Hamer and Tyrese Campbell, with last year’s Championship Player of the Season, in particular, continuing to pique interest despite speculation of a move to Trabzonspor last month.

Hamer was signed from Coventry for £15 million in August 2023, with a four-year contract set to end next summer.

“Tyrese and Gus are in different situations in terms of where their careers are,” the Blades manager explained.

“However, I want to maintain my best players. I want to keep Gus. He has been great. I’m confident Gus and Callum (O’Hare) will provide another outstanding performance on Wednesday night.

“There has been before, and I’m confident he will understand that he, as well as Callum, will need to perform at their peak. But, yes, we want to keep both Gus and Ty. They are a significant part of what we are doing.

“However, as we have previously discussed, their approach and that of their representatives must always be respected. “Where they see their future must also be respected, and we’ll see how that evolves,” Wilder said.

Chris Wilder’s stance on key Sheffield United quartet is understandable amid contract talk

It’s no surprise that Wilder has the aforementioned view on his key offensive quartet, but it remains to be seen how the upcoming contract talks go.

Of course, Hamer will be the major focus in this situation, as the playmaker has been a significant character at Bramall Lane over his two-and-a-half year stint, attracting numerous suitors.

As a result, the only way the Blades may be able to keep him is if they break their play-off curse at the conclusion of the season, which is still possible in theory, despite the fact that there is now a nine-point gap to close with 12 games remaining in the campaign.