Sheffield United have experienced a wide variety of ups and downs in recent years since winning the League One title back in 2017.
The Blades went on to achieve a subsequent automatic promotion from the Championship to the Premier League just two seasons later, before shocking the footballing world by finishing ninth in the top-flight.
But after landing a top-half spot in the Premier League in 2020, the South Yorkshire outfit were relegated back to the second tier one year later, and have since bounced between the top two divisions with promotion in 2023 prior to another relegation earlier this year.
The Blades may have changed divisions multiple times of late, but one constant at Bramall Lane over the last six years has been the high quality performances of former Brentford defender John Egan, who left Chris Wilder’s side earlier this summer at the end of his contract following over half a decade of service.
Sheffield United struck gold with John Egan deal
Wilder’s men signed the Ireland international from the Bees in the summer of 2018 for a fee of £4 million – a club record deal at the time.
After forking out a handsome transfer fee, the Blades will have wanted Egan to be a successful player during his time in South Yorkshire, but he undoubtedly exceeded expectations.
When the Blades won the League One title in 2017, they would not have imagined that it would be plausible for them to be in the Premier League by 2019, but that’s exactly what Wilder and co achieved, and Egan’s performances were vital towards that previously unfathomable success.
The centre-half was a near-ever present for United during their 2018/19 promotion winning season, making 44 appearances and scoring one goal as well as creating one assist in the process.
The Blades had the joint best defence in the Championship that season as they conceded just 41 goals, a tally matched only by Middlesbrough, and Egan’s high quality performances played a pivotal role in an impressive backline.
Egan was then able to prove his worth in the Premier League, making 36 top-flight appearances in the 2019/20 campaign, in which the Blades finished in a remarkable top-half spot in the top tier.
The Republic of Ireland international displayed his defensive qualities that season, as he won 198 duels as well as winning 134 aerial duels, while also making 58 interceptions, according to stats via FotMob.
Sadly for the Blades, they were relegated back to the Championship in 2021, but Egan was still able to show his individual class during the 2020/21 campaign, as he won 131 duels over the course of that season against some quality strikers.
The Bramall Lane side responded to the setback of relegation well, as they landed a second tier top-six spot in 2022, and the 31-year-old played every single Championship game for the South Yorkshire outfit during 2021/22, including both legs of the play-off semi-final loss to Nottingham Forest.
John Egan’s 2021/22 Championship stats, as per FotMob |
|
---|---|
Appearances |
46 |
Starts |
46 |
Tackles won |
20 |
Tackles won % |
48.8 |
Duels won |
256 |
Duels won % |
60 |
Aerial duels won |
195 |
Aerial duels won % |
62.1 |
Goals |
2 |
Egan was then as reliable as ever for the Blades as they sealed automatic promotion back to the Premier League in 2023, making 45 appearances as part of a strong defence who conceded just 39 goals during the 2022/23 Championship season.
Unfortunately for the Irishman, he was only able to make six top-flight outings last campaign, after suffering a season-ending achilles injury during a 2-0 defeat to West Ham last September.
It is sad for Egan that his Blades career ended in such difficult fashion, after he provided his club with six years of excellent service.
Sheffield United will miss John Egan despite their central defensive depth
Once again, the goal for Wilder’s side is to bounce back to the Premier League, but they will now have to do it without Egan, who has played a key role in recent promotion-winning campaigns.
In order to land either a play-off spot or automatic promotion, the Blades backline will have to up their game in order to fill the void that has been left by Egan.
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Thankfully for Wilder, he has plenty of names to call upon, such as new recruit Harry Souttar from Leicester City, as well as Anel Ahmedhodzic, Jack Robinson and Auston Trusty – it means that Egan won’t necessarily be missed on the pitch, but his general presence will definitely be a massive loss.