Sheffield Utd owner: Chris Wilder ‘resigned’ twice, wanted £4m pay-off

Sheffield United owner, Prince Abdullah, has revealed Chris Wilder twice wanted to resign as manager and demanded a £4m severance fee to do so when his time at the club was coming to an end.

Wilder eventually left by mutual consent earlier this month with the club bottom of the Premier League and seemingly destined for relegation, with the two parties apparently having irreconcilable differences.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Prince Abdullah also discusses his concerns over the recruitment process under Wilder, as well as the club’s search for a long-term replacement for him.

“In December, Stephen [Bettis, Sheffield United CEO] told me that Chris had talked about resigning. I was really worried and I knew that a phone call or a Zoom call would not do the trick, I had to sit with him,” the Prince said.

In an exclusive extended interview with Sky Sports News, Sheffield United owner Prince Abdullah discusses the reasons behind Chris Wilder’s exit and the Blades’ long-term plan for a successor

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“The problem was, because of Covid, all Saudis were banned from leaving the country. I spent two weeks trying to get permission to leave. As soon as I got that, I flew to London and drove to Sheffield and met Chris before the Southampton game [a 3-0 defeat].

“I told Chris, if we lose every game until the end of the season, we are not going to fire you. We need you to be our coach. I am not talking about emotion, I just believe you are the best manager to bring us back to the Premier League.

“I told him recruitment could be better and that we could sit down after the season and talk about how we could make it better.