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Sheffield United man closing in on new Bramall Lane contract amid Rhian Brewster "ongoing discussions"
Skipper Jack Robinson is close to triggering a new deal at Sheffield United, manager Chris Wilder revealed this morning, with the former Liverpool man's current contract set to expire at the end of the season. The 31-year-old has made a home at Bramall Lane since arriving from Nottingham Forest back in January 2020 and is closing in on 150 appearances for the Blades.
Wilder said earlier this year that he was keen to see the centre-half remain in South Yorkshire beyond the summer, having brought him in in the first place during his first spell in charge of the Blades. After losing his place earlier in the campaign to injury, Robinson came back into the side after Harry Souttar's season-ending own fitness issue and will make his latest appearance of the season against Preston tomorrow.
Speaking ahead of that clash with Paul Heckingbottom's North End, Wilder revealed: "Jack triggers an extension after 25 games. He didn't play at the start because of the partnership of Harry and Anel [Ahmedhodzic] and Jack was patient in his approach.
"Jack will trigger that, so there's no unbelievable rush. Jack will want to deal with that and we want to as well, but the major thing was getting through the January transfer window."
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Robinson has made 25 appearances in all competitions so far this season but it has not officially been confirmed whether Robinson’s 25-game trigger is purely league appearances, or even league starts. He has started 22 Championship games this season so is well on the way towards hitting the marker he needs to spend at least another season in South Yorkshire.
During his first spell in charge of his boyhood club Wilder placed a big emphasis on bringing the power back to the football club in terms of contracts. In recent years United have often had a big number of players nearing the end of their deals but a number of key players have been tied down to long-term deals since Wilder's return, including youngsters such as Oliver Arblaster and Sydie Peck.
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United are also discussing a new deal with striker Rhian Brewster, who is also set to become a free agent in the summer as things stand. The former Liverpool man has not yet lived up to the hype that surrounded his big-money switch from Anfield back in 2020 after falling victim to a succession of unfortunate injuries, but remains a popular figure at Bramall Lane.
"We're having ongoing discussions with Rhian," Wilder, whose side are second in the Championship table and two points clear of third-placed Burnley in the race for the Premier League, added. "I was talking to [chief executive] Stephen Bettis yesterday about contracts and plans, and it's something we have to acknowledge and hopefully deal with."