The intriguing Sheffield United transfer rumour that has Blades fans rattled

Chris Wilder is a man whose recruitment strategy could hardly be much tamer. Every summer, the Sheffield United manager seemingly pulls out his dusty rolodex labelled ‘Cheap British Has-Beens’ and and gets to flicking, rooting around among the dog-eared cards and scribbled biro phone numbers for yet another bargain who can paper over a crack that widens every season as a consequence of the freeze-thaw cycle of perpetual yo-yoing.

This year, the lucky object of his magnolia desires is Luke Ayling, a man who fits the, ahem, bill of a Wilder signing to an almost comedic extent. The full-back is a thirty-something Yorkshireman out of contract in the summer and well-versed in the tumult and churn of the Championship promotion race, and indeed, the subsequent cockfight for Premier League survival. His top knot is a bit of a left-field detail, admittedly, but probably not enough to derail any simmering interest.

According to a report from Alan Nixon of The Sun, Wilder has identified Ayling as a prospective summer acquisition as - with his United side 10 points from safety with just five games left to play - attention begins to shift back towards an immediate return to the Football League. A quick glance at social media, that great aggregator of human expression, is enough to tell you that there are a lot of Blades who are not best pleased about this whole sorry thing.

In the first instance, the manner in which Wilder’s grand homecoming has fizzled into nothingness is almost embarrassing. Since returning to Bramall Lane, Wilder has won just two Premier League matches and amassed a paltry total of 11 points. It’s like The Great Escape if Steve McQueen was riding a penny farthing. For this reason, there are many United supporters who would rather the end of the campaign brought with it a conclusion to Wilder’s second tenure with the club as well.

And then there is the perception of a broader stagnation that a signing of Ayling’s ilk would illustrate. Make no mistake, the former Leeds United defender is a fine player, and he has established himself as an appreciated presence for Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick this season, but his arrival at Bramall Lane would feel, in the opinions of many, like more of the same thrifty dross that has trapped Sheffield United in a Sisyphean clamber of promotion and relegation.

Identifying a full-back who will be 33 in August, and who would presumably cost nothing, as a transfer target of some priority ahead of the summer window feels like a familiar case of doing just enough to get by. It is unambitious short-termism, like waking up to a broken boiler in the height of midwinter and buying a new pair of socks instead of calling in a repairman.

Sheffield United, in all likelihood, will be in the race for promotion from the Championship back to the Premier League next term. Such is their habit. Perhaps Ayling will join them and play a significant role in helping them to achieve their aims too. But if the Blades are serious about ever becoming more than what they currently are, then they need to rethink their transfer policy. And the fans know that better than anybody.