Sheffield United urged to expand key department behind the scenes

Speaking earlier this term, manager Paul Heckingbottom insisted it was imperative that Mitchell’s colleague Jared Dublin was replaced after leaving Bramall Lane to take up a position at Reading. But with a transfer embargo imposed by the English Football League earlier this year still in place, and a block effectively being put on any contract negotiations with those players whose agreements are about to expire, the vacancy Dublin’s departure created remains open.

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“Our recruitment department was light anyway,” Heckingbottom said, suggesting he has again raised the subject with the board of directors in recent weeks. “It needs more than one. Our market has changed and where we need more eyes have changed. Mitch and I have been talking about that a lot. Scouts, contacts, people you know; we’ve got all of that. Mitch has a great network. But in terms of personnel, manpower and expenditure, we are way behind. This gives us a chance to change things for the better.”

Although Heckingbottom and Mitchell accept the pressure on United’s finances means money is in short supply, they are also aware that diminishing budgets means it is even more important the right signings are made. Mitchell has forged a formidable reputation since being appointed by Heckingbottom’s predecessor Chris Wilder and then remaining in South Yorkshire following the now Watford chief’s departure. But with the resources placed at Heckingbottom’s disposal being cut last summer, as economic realities behind the scenes began to bite, their margins for error in this sphere have become even slimmer. Which, the 43-year-old knows full well, makes it imperative they are in a position to accurately track prospective acquisitions. Top-flight duo Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion are frequently cited as examples for United to follow, given the bang for buck they deliver in this sphere. But both are known to plough huge sums into their recruitment systems.

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“In the meantime, we need to be building and getting a department that’s delivering all the time,” said Heckingbottom, who will press Dozy Mmobuosi on the matter if the Nigerian’s proposed takeover of United is approved by the English Football League. “Every summer is big, in terms of making money go further. I was grateful for clarity from the board about what we had to spend. I don’t mind having less, just so long as we know. The more personnel in that department, the more you can narrow it down. It’s in the way of things, at the moment, that we want to do.”

“We want to keep on getting better, more efficient, at everything we do,” he added. “That’s a view shared by all of us here. And it’s important that we do, no matter what level we are playing at or where we find ourselves. People are developing on this all the time and, like I say, we don’t want to get left behind.”

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