Omar Colley of UC Sampdoria in action during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and UC Sampdoria at Stadio Artemio Franchi on September 25, 2019 in Florence, Italy. (Getty Images)
According to The Star, Sheffield United are weighing up a deal for Sampdoria centre-back Omar Colley to shore up their backline.
As per the report, the Blades are also monitoring Preston North End defender Ben Davies, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season. Out-of-favour Man United playmaker Jesse Lingard has also been linked with a loan move to Bramall Lane as Chris Wilder prepares to launch a survival charge in the Premier League.
Omar Colley started his career with Wallidan and Real de Banjul in his native Gambia before moving to Europe with Finnish outfit KuPS in 2013. After making 74 appearances for the club over two years, the centre-back was transferred to Djurgardens IF. Colley went on to reach great heights in Sweden before being snapped up by Genk in 2016.
The Gambian international was instrumental as the Belgian giants reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2016-17 campaign. Colley’s two-year spell at Genk saw him rack up 95 appearances in all competitions, with the centre-back impressing enough to earn a move to Italy with Sampdoria in 2018.
The 28-year-old has settled down really well in the Serie A, establishing himself as a key cog in Sampdoria’s backline over the past two-and-a-half seasons.
Sheffield United earned plenty of plaudits for their impressive 9th-place finish in the Premier League following their first season back in the top-flight last term. While the Blades struggled to match their rivals in terms of attacking firepower, a rock-solid backline proved to be the foundation of their success.
However, Wilder’s side have lacked the same stability at the back this season, conceding 32 goals in 19 games so far. Only Crystal Palace, West Brom and Leeds United have shipped more goals in the PL at this stage. That pretty much sums up why the Blades currently find themselves rock-bottom of the table in a relegation dogfight.
The season-ending injury to Jack O’Connell back in September has hit Sheffield United very hard. Wilder has rotated the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Jack Robinson to partner John Egan and Chris Basham in his three-man central defence but hasn’t managed to get his combination right so far.
With time running out to resurrect their floundering campaign, Sheffield United need some impact signings in the January window to give themselves a real chance of beating the drop.
A potential deal for Omar Colley, to that end, would represent a smart piece of business for the Yorkshire outfit as they bid to stem the inflow of goals in the coming months.
The Gambian international has been among the standout performers for Sampdoria in the Serie A over the past few years. Earlier in his career, he also represented Genk in the Europa League. Hence, the 28-year-old has enough experience and quality to help the Blades freshen things up at the back.
Sheffield United need to get their recruitment absolutely spot on this month as the January window is effectively their last lifeline in what looks like an uphill battle against relegation.
Omar Colley ticks several boxes as a powerful centre-back with plenty of experience. Hence, he could make for an excellent addition to the ranks heading into a hectic winter schedule.