Sheffield United were left heartbroken at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, seeing their one-goal lead evaporate against Sunderland to deny them a place in the Premier League.
It looked for all the world that Sheffield United would return to the big time after dominating most of the Championship play-off final.
Tyrece Campbell scored the opener in the first half, and truthfully, Chris Wilder’s men looked comfortable for most of the match.
But they were stunned in the second half by an incredible Sunderland comeback as goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Tommy Watson broke their hearts in the dying embers.
As Sheffield United’s abysmal play-off record continued, supporters will now fear that Gustavo Hamer and some of his teammates will leave Bramall Lane.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Sheffield United could lose Gustavo Hamer and Vinicius Souza after play-off failure
Hamer was the Championship’s standout player in 2024/25, being crowned Player of the Year at the EFL awards night, and he dazzled on the big stage at Wembley.
In their biggest game of the season, Hamer delivered a 10/10 performance against Sunderland, producing the wonderful run and pass for Campbell’s lob and running the show in attack.
Championship fans now feel Hamer is Premier League-bound after the Blades lost in the play-off final, and he isn’t the only one who will surely be linked with an exit.
Vinicius Souza has been a ball-winning titan for Sheffield United throughout the campaign and he showed his class against Sunderland with some incredible tackling.
Vinicius Souza stats vs Sunderland
90 minutes played
29/30 passes completed (97%)
6/10 ground duels won
2/2 aerial duels won
5 tackles
The Brazilian was a monster in the middle of the park, shutting down the playmaking abilities of Dan Neil, and doing everything in his power for his side to secure victory.
Unfortunately, following their failure to return to the Premier League, this could be the last time they see of Souza in a United shirt, with clubs circling the 25-year-old.
The three players likely to exit Sheffield United
Souza has been ‘incredible’ for the Blades, and they were fortunate to keep hold of him last summer when the likes of Fulham and AC Milan were interested.
Speaking to our Chief Football Correspondent Graeme Bailey at full-time, he now thinks Hamer, Souza and Anel Ahmedhodzic could all leave Sheffield United this summer.
“I don’t see how they can hang onto their Brazilian stars, though. Gustavo Hamer ran the final before going off injured, which is a very strange repeat of what happened to him whilst with Coventry City.
“The other is Vinicius Souza – a huge talent, quite literally – the giant Brazilian has been awesome for United but there are a host of clubs looking at him. I also think their Bosnian star Anel Ahmedhodzic is unlikely to want another Championship season.”
It will be interesting to see what happens with their best players in the transfer window but it seems inevitable that at least one or two of them will move on.