As the transfer window starts to close there is no imminent movement of players, in or out of Bramall Lane and Chris Armstrong's switch to Reading is the only deal so far.

Kevin Blackwell sanctioned that transfer, insisting that it had come "out of the blue" and stressing that nothing else was at the planning stage:

"I have had lots of calls about my players but I don't anticipate letting any of them out. The beauty of our situation is that we don't have to sell until the time is right for us and the right valuation is offered.

"We will look at the situation again after the window closes, re-assess things and then possibly loan some of our players out to get match fit."

With regard to recruitment Blackwell has emphasised that he would be interested if someone special became available. However, he is not going to spend if it is not justified and cites his respect for the Club's well-being and the current financial climate as being sufficient reason for his methodology:

"The credit crunch we are all experiencing is bound to affect football, and I just feel that if we take our eye off the ball with regard to financial prudence then we could suffer in the long run.

""It would be easy to rush out and buy somebody almost for the sake of it, but that would mean that we wouldn't have the money available later when we might really need it.

"In any event, things are going well at the moment, we have good competition all over the squad so why mend something if it isn't broken?

"I want to work with our directors to make sure that Sheffield United is around for a long time, and that means spending wisely at the right time."