Sheffield United currently find themselves 13th in the Championship, still with a chance of making the playoffs. They would have hoped for better, having finished third last season.
Missing out on promotion was a big blow for the Yorkshire club, especially for it to happen in the way it did. The contrast in subsequent fortunes with Sunderland, who are 11th in the Premier League, is stark.
The lead up to that 2025 effort will have partly involved players identified by Steven Vanharen, who worked in transfers for Sheffield United until 2023. That was as part of the United World Group.
He’s currently sports director at Hungarian club Györi ETO FC and is leading a project which sees them top of the table.
Sheffield United weren’t aiming high enough
Vanharen was at Sheffield United when they were last promoted to the Premier League. Following that he left the club, and has explained he did so because he couldn’t see a way forward.
Speaking to Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen, Vanharen said: “Promotion to the Premier League with Sheffield was a highlight. In 2023, I resigned because I didn’t feel supported enough and couldn’t see any upward trend. Yes, it was quite a journey. I’ve done all sorts of things in football, which means I can now talk to several members of the coaching staff at a high level.”
As part of the interview, the director repeatedly made it clear that money isn’t everything, and that a strong plan is more important.
On his general approach, Vanharen pinpointed choosing a manager as a crucial aspect.
“Success doesn’t always have to cost money,” he said. “It’s a matter of vision, structures, the qualities of people, and developing and utilising them sufficiently. First, you ask yourself: ‘What kind of football do I want to see my team play?’ So that a club has an identity, a recognisable style of football. Then you think about how you want to develop that. What methodology you apply.
“The most important transfer in this regard is your head coach, who must develop players within the club’s philosophy. The next step is determining which player profiles you need. Then you ask yourself how you want to develop scouting around that and link that to data. Of course, it’s all more complex than it sounds. But not many clubs operate according to those four simple steps.”
Something in that process clearly didn’t please him at Sheffield United.
