Sheffield United line-up move for Newcastle United free agent as Chris Wilder looks to add experience

Championship promotion-hopefuls Sheffield United are hoping to add former Newcastle United stalwart Paul Dummett to their ranks this summer.

Blades boss Chris Wilder is currently overseeing a huge summer rebuild in post-relegation, and against the backdrop of an ongoing takeover process has successfully added the likes Kieffer Moore, Jamie Shackleton, Sam McCullam, Callum O’Hare and most recently Harrison Burrows to his team.

The five players all offer the South Yorkshire club experience at Championship level which will benefit the team’s promotion hopes. Sport reporter Alan Nixon, via his Patreon Page, understands that Wilder is also looking to add Dummett to his ranks in the coming weeks.

The 32-year-old became a free agent at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, marking an end to an incredible 24-year stint on Tyneside which began when the defender joined the club’s academy at the age of nine.

After brief loan spells at Gateshead and St Mirren, Dummett was introduced to the senior squad by Alan Pardew in January 2013 and that is exactly where he would remain for the next 11-years during a rollercoaster decade with the Magpies which saw him experience relegation to the Championship, promotion to the Premier League, various survival battles and even a return to the Champions League after a 20-year hiatus.

Dummett’s versatility and leadership behind the scenes was crucial throughout his time in the North East and he racked up a total of 213 career appearances before leaving the club this summer. After leaving the club, Dummett posted: “The time has come for me to say goodbye to the club. I write this message with a heavy heart having been proud to have represented the first team for 12 years, something I never in a million years thought I’d ever achieve.

“Overwhelmed by the volume of incredible messages and comments I’ve received from the announcement. I can’t reply to them all, but I have read every one of them. Thank you.”

Since leaving Newcastle, Dummett has insisted that he is keen to continue playing professionally. Nixon reports that Dummett’s experience and versatility to play at both left back and centre back would make him an ideal addition for Sheffield United.

Wilder also hinted that more signing’s would be on the way at Bramall Lane. Shortly after his side’s 2-1 victory over Rotherham in pre-season he told Sheffield Star reporters:  “Hopefully they’ll be more decent players to come in the next three or four days. There’s still a lot to build on, we understand that.

“We understand that time is of the essence. We’re 10 training days away from the first game of the season and we have one competitive game left. So we need to move and hopefully we will do that this week.”