Sheffield United opinion: Blades in for Britt Assombalonga – Good move?

According to a report in Northern Echo, newly-promoted Sheffield United are set to make a move for Middlesbrough forward Britt Assombalonga in the coming transfer window.

The 14m striker has finished as Boro’s top scorer in the last two seasons after making a record-breaking move from Nottingham Forest in 2017, but the club remain short of the top-six finish in the Championship.

That inability to climb out of the second division has made the 26-year-old a leading contender to depart Teesside this summer (h/t Northern Echo).

There are a string of teams who have kept close tabs on the player and manager Tony Pulis will apparently allow him to leave the club (h/t Northern Echo). The likes of Bristol City, Birmingham City, Derby County and others are in the race (h/t Northern Echo).

However, with Sheffield United now in the Premier League, they can make a move and match the fee demands of the player (h/t Northern Echo). Hence, they must be the favourites to sign the forward in the summer.

Here’s why it’d be a good move:

Assombalonga could be a good option as Sharp’s strike partner

Despite not starting regularly and missing chances, Assombalonga has managed to net 29 goals in 88 league appearances for Middlesbrough (26 of those appearances came from the bench). 

Hence, it is pretty clear that the 26-year-old is a real threat up front and can cause a lot of problems to the opposition defence. He can play as a second striker or as one of the wide forwards. 

In terms of his attributes, Assombalonga possesses good pace to stretch the last line of defence, can dribble past people, is physically strong to hold the ball up and apart from wobbly moments, is generally good at finishing off the chances.

Therefore, the DR Congo international could be a lethal weapon for Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder to unleash. They play with a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-1-2 formation. 

Assombalonga can either play as one of the strikers in the former or as a number 10 behind the two strikers in the latter. His playing attributes would really concern the Premier League defences.

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Conclusion

Sheffield United must be looking to add more attacking threat to their team ahead of the new season in the English top-flight. Signing Assombalonga could be a step in the right direction.