If events had unfolded slightly differently in the summer, Chris Wilder might have been gearing up for Sheffield United’s trip to Leicester City tomorrow from the home dugout. Instead, he heads down the M1 situated exactly where he prefers to be.
The Blades boss was unemployed after departing United — a choice later reversed by the owners after their Ruben Selles experiment collapsed badly — and the Foxes were searching for a new manager to succeed the dismissed Ruud van Nistelrooy following their relegation from the Premier League.
Wilder was among the shortlisted candidates and there was significant communication between both sides before Leicester chose to hire former QPR manager Martí Cifuentes instead. It has not been the campaign he anticipated, with the Foxes sitting 15th in the Championship heading into the weekend.
“Yeah, I spoke to Leicester City in the summer,” said Wilder, who acknowledged it was “mad” how football can play out. “I was impressed with what they had to say and, at the time, I was out of work. So I was disappointed not to get that gig. But you move on. I enjoyed the process.
“And yeah, I was disappointed not to get the job because I like to think that it could have been one that worked well for myself and the coaches that we would have brought in. I know a lot about the club over a number of years.
“I know a lot about the players as well. There are a couple that we’ve worked with as well, like Luke Thomas, Hamza [Choudhury, who spent last season on loan at United], Harry Souttar.
Chris Wilder’s twist of Sheffield United fate after Leicester City talks as potential Foxes transfer hint dropped:
“And talking to them, they had a very positive view on the club. And what Enzo did as well. We share the same agent. Yeah, it’s a big club. It’s a big club and I wanted to get back into work.
“And I thought I could have done a decent job for them. But it’s worked out fabulously for me personally. Coming back to my club and trying to push on from what was a difficult start.”
Things have not developed ideally for the Blades this season either; they only climbed out of the Championship relegation zone on Wednesday after securing a second straight 3-0 victory at home to Portsmouth.
Wilder has already mentioned his intention to revamp his squad in January, with former loanee Hamza Choudhury – now back at Leicester – still believed to be on his long-term radar, along with Souttar, who is currently recovering from an Achilles injury that cut short his spell at the Blades last season.
“I always believe Leicester City’s academy is absolutely top,” he added. “They’ve brought some outstanding players through in the years and are continuing to do that. That was one of the attractions when I spoke to them, about the bulging talent in the academy.
“And knowing a lot about the football club, they’ve always got some good players. And we’ve always looked at their players from an attitude point of view. The academy, they bring through tough boys and they sign some good players. They’ve obviously got a lot of players as well.
“We’re working our way on our list as well. Harry had a fabulous first part of the season. He was a big player for us in our defensive record up to Boxing Day when he unfortunately, he tore his Achilles.
“I’ve always been a Hamza fan. I thought he was outstanding for us. He went about his job, no nonsense. One of the standout players when the pressure was on, late on in the season. He was good in two play-off games, and a real positive performance in the play-off final for us.”