Sheffield United have announced the signing of Ben Osborn on a three year deal from Nottingham Forest for a fee exceeding £3 million. He becomes the Blades’ sixth signing of the summer transfer window after; Luke Freeman, Phil Jagielka, Callum Robinson, Ravel Morrison and Lys Mousset.
Here’s what Chris Wilder has had to say about the signing of BenOsborn:
“Ben is an intelligent footballer, he plays a number of positions and has got that attitude that he will slot in wherever. But he’ll want to nail down a position and he’s going to put enormous pressure on a few of our players who might think they’re cemented into the team and that’s how it’s got to be, I’ve said all along, it raises everybody’s standards. We are putting together a group that’s got to be competitive in arguably the best division in the world.”
Player History
Osborn started his career at Derby in 2002 before joining Nottingham Forest’s youth academy at the age of nine in 2003. Osborn became a regular at left back within the youth team, being voted as the Academy Player of the Year in 2012. It was an injury to Gonzalo Jara in 2014 that prompted Osborn to get his call up to the senior team, with him making his debut against Ipswich Town.
After an impressive pre-season, Osborn managed to nail down his spot in the squad, making 36 appearances throughout the 2015/16 season, scoring 3 goals and providing 5 assists, predominantly playing as a left midfielder. Across the next 3 seasons Osborn played in the Championship on 131 occasions, scoring 9 goals and 18 assists, playing a mixture of left back or left midfield positions.
Internationally, Ben Osborn has made a number of appearances for the England youth teams, between under-18’s and under-20’s.
Fantasy Football Potential
Osborn has featured in the pre-season tour for the Blades, scoring on his debut in a 1-4 victory over Barnsley, playing at LWB. Osborn has been added into Fantasy Premier League with a price of £5.0m, classified as a midfielder which may make him less attractive from a fantasy football perspective.
What also is unclear is whether or not Osborn will be able to secure a starting position within the team, with him starting on the bench in their final pre-season friendly. That said, if he can nail down a spot, he will be a consistent player for the Blades, just as he was in the Championship. However from a fantasy football perspective he should be one to avoid for the time being.
