Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder thankful his side won Leeds United transfer battle ahead of 'big month'

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has issued public thanks to the Blades' board for sanctioning a deal for Leeds United target Jesurun Rak-Sakyi over the summer.

The Crystal Palace winger scored twice as the Bramall Lane outfit clinched a 2-0 victory over Luton Town last weekend to put them three points above Leeds heading into the international break. The Whites welcome the Blades to Elland Road later this month, with a Friday evening kick off scheduled for October 18.

Wilder is pleased with the start his side has made to the campaign after they picked up 21 points from nine games. They sit level with Sunderland on 19 points, however, after being hit with a two-point deduction to start the campaign after defaulting on a number of payments due for other clubs. Leeds have four wins from their opening nine games, although that figure was close to five before Illan Meslier's dramatic and costly mistake in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland last week. A day later, the Blades went joint top with their 2-0 home win over the Hatters thanks to Rak-Sakyi's double.

"We worked really hard to get Jesurun in this summer so I’d like to thank the board for letting me push on that one. He was at his very best today and we want to see more of that," Wilder said after the game.

“The confidence that will give him and the belief, we understand that’s what forward players are there to do but we’re there as a team to win games of football. We’re on a nice little run at the moment. You go on that nonsense social media and bits and pieces and ‘nobody’s done this’ or ‘nobody’s done that’, ‘where are we going to get the goals from?’ and all stuff like that. The young boys are finding their way, we have new players finding their way in a new system.

“There’s a lot of big tests coming up, it’s going to be a big month for us. It’s sometimes difficult for players when they’re not playing but they can see that they are all a part of it. They want to listen, they want to learn and they want to get better. I don’t see how people can compare last season to this season, it’s a completely different team. Different way, different cultures, different personalities this season.”

Daniel Farke has been consistent with not guaranteeing minutes to loan players and it was suggested Leeds pulled away from the move for Rak-Sayki as they were unwilling to give assurances to Palace over the number of minutes the youngster would get.

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“A loan from the Premier League usually only comes for game-time,” Farke said in August. “We have a strong squad, so sometimes you can't guarantee minutes. Names are not important but what you deliver on the training pitch, in games, what you show in the dressing room. It's never a guarantee whoever I bring in that he plays.”

The meeting between Leeds and Sheffield United looks a spicy prospect given the sides' respective positions in the table while the Whites public pursuit of key Blades midfielder Gus Hamer in the summer has only increased the tension between the sides. After draws with Norwich City and Sunderland last week, Leeds will be keen to lay out their promotion credentials with victory over their county rivals.