Sheffield United sack Ruben Selles after six straight defeats as club explores return of Chris Wilder
Blades bottom of Championship after 5-0 defeat at Ipswich; former manager Wilder said to be willing to consider a return
Sheffield United have sacked manager Ruben Selles after the club lost six consecutive matches to start the 2025–26 Championship season, the club announced on Sunday.
Selles’s dismissal follows a 5-0 defeat at Ipswich Town on Friday that left the Blades bottom of the table and without a goal in their last four league fixtures. Daily Mail Sport reported on Saturday that the club is exploring a move to reappoint former manager Chris Wilder.
The Daily Mail said Wilder, 57, is prepared to consider a return to Bramall Lane to help his boyhood club. The potential approach was first reported by the Sheffield Star and later confirmed as being under consideration by United sources to Daily Mail Sport.
Wilder is a long-standing figure at the club, born and raised in South Yorkshire and capped as a Blades fan in his youth. As manager he led Sheffield United from the third tier to an unexpected ninth-place finish in the Premier League in the 2019–20 season. He has had two prior spells at Bramall Lane as manager and was reappointed and dismissed on different occasions amid boardroom changes.
Club ownership and boardroom upheaval have marked United’s recent history. Long-time chairman Kevin McCabe lost a power struggle with co-owner Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad al Saud, who in turn sold the club in December 2024 to an American consortium led by Steven Rosen and Helmy Eltouky. Wilder was reappointed during Prince Abdullah’s involvement, then sacked last summer by the new American ownership amid reported disagreements over recruitment strategy and the club’s move toward an AI-led model. Reports said the parting was amicable.
United’s new board signalled its intention to integrate data technology and a revised recruitment approach, a stance that contributed to friction with Wilder, who has been described by people close to him as open to modern methods and less autocratic than earlier in his career. Those contacts told reporters he would likely expect some degree of control over football matters if he were to return.
Selles, who took charge after the club’s most recent managerial change, leaves with United rooted to the bottom of the Championship after six successive defeats. The team failed to score in four straight matches leading up to the heavy loss at Ipswich, intensifying pressure on the coaching staff and players. The club did not immediately announce who would take temporary charge.
Sheffield United’s search for a new manager comes with early-season fixtures and little time to arrest the decline. The club faces scrutiny from supporters and stakeholders following a precipitous run of results and ongoing questions about the long-term direction under the current ownership.
A return by Wilder would be the latest episode in an already turbulent period for the club’s leadership. The club has not released a full statement detailing its next steps, and interest in Wilder remains, according to the reporting outlets, under discussion rather than finalised. Further announcements are expected in the coming days as United evaluates candidates to stabilise the team and its league position.