Ruben Selles named new Sheffield United head coach

Sheffield United have confirmed the appointment of Ruben Selles as their new head coach after the Blades decided to part company with Chris Wilder.

COH Sports, the American-based consortium that owns Sheffield United, opted to dismiss the popular Wilder after the club narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League following a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland in the Championship play-off final.

The club acted swiftly with their appointment of Wilder's successor and the Blades have turned to former Hull City boss Selles, who was sacked by the Tigers last month despite achieving his primary objective of preserving their Championship status.

“When we first heard about the possibility of coming here, it was a no brainer for us to join a club with this kind of history and with a mission to move forward and try to be even more competitive," said Selles.

“This is a very powerful and ambitious project. It was very important at the start of the conversations that everyone is on the same page.

“Our identity is always very clear. We want to be aggressive, we want to make things happen. So, the fans can expect a team which is not going to wait or be reactive, we will be proactive, we are going to go and try and be as competitive as we can in every single game."

Selles had a brief tenure as Southampton manager in the Premier League before winning plenty of admirers with League One outfit Reading where his ability to develop young players came to the fore.

His work with the Berkshire club prompted Hull to appoint him as their new manager in December 2024 whilst in the midst of a relegation battle.

Although Selles achieved safety on the final day of the Championship campaign, Hull's form in the latter stages of the season was uninspiring and a lack of consistency prompted Tigers owner Acun Ilicali to wield the axe.

Despite his unceremonious exit, Selles has managed to land upwards from his Hull sacking and the Valencian coach will be tasked with succeeding where Wilder failed by winning promotion to the Premier League.

Contending with a two-point deduction at the start of the season for financial irregularities, Wilder had the Blades in strong contention for automatic promotion until three successive defeats in early April ultimately derailed their charge for a top-two finish.

The Blades were then 15 minutes from glory at Wembley when goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Tom Watson broke Sheffield United hearts and won Sunderland promotion to the top-flight.

It was a result which ultimately cost Wilder his job, even though he put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension at the end of January.

Sheffield United have incorporated an Artificial Intelligence recruitment model since COH Sports acquired full control of the club in December 2024 - an outlook Wilder reportedly disagreed with - and the club appear to be heading towards a heavily data-driven programme, hence their faith in Selles despite his patchy managerial record.

As Selles takes the reins, Wilder departs with his stock still high, although the nature of his exit may take some time to heal.

Jaquob Crooke

• Sheffield United F.C.
• Championship
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