Welcome, Alfie
United’s defensive options have been strengthened ahead of Friday’s season opener at Preston Noth End, with the loan addition of Chelsea’s versatile Alfie Gilchrist.
The 20-year-old prospect has penned a season-long loan with the Blades and speaking following the capture of the highly-rated defender, Chris Wilder admitted patience has had to be a virtue in this signing.
Wilder commented: "The loan market tends to be one which intensifies later in the window, so we accepted we would have to wait a little longer if we wanted our top targets. Alfie was always one of those players who featured high on our wanted list.
[p"Everyone in the game is aware of Alfie and his abilities, so our pitch to him, and Chelsea, had to be spot on. There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes to get this deal through, and we’re looking forward to working with a really talented player.[/p][p"Alfie’s had a taste of playing at the highest level, and having spoken to him, he’s keen to get more games under his belt. He’s ready to take the next opportunity in his career and we’re delighted to have added him to our squad"[/p]Born in Kingston upon Thames, Gilchrist started his career playing locally and briefly at QPR before joining Chelsea in 2014 where he was initially deployed as a central defender.
He signed his first professional contract in November 2020 and captained the youth team that reached the last four of the FA Youth Cup and also won the U18 Premier League Cup during the 2021-22 campaign.
Gilchrist took over as captain of the Blues U23s in February and was nominated for the PL2 Player of the Season award for the 2022-23 season and being including in the first team matchday squad for the first time against Manchester United in May 2023.
Having penned a new deal last summer, Gilchrist made his senior debut for Chelsea against Crystal Palace last December, with his first start coming in the FA Cup tie against Preston North End shortly afterwards.
The defender, who made 11 top-flight appearances, scored his first senior goal against Everton at Stamford Bridge in April.
He commented: "I am really looking forward to it. It is a great opportunity which the club and the manager have given to me. I am just looking forward to getting started. It has always been the plan to showcase what I can do in the Premier League with the chances I’ve had, so now I want to try and do that week in, week out, here.
[p"This is a new challenge. I am taking myself out of my comfort zone. I’ve been there (at Chelsea) a while now, so I am ready to kick on. I came here last season for an away day, and seeing the fans and how they get behind the team, how much they love it, I was impressed"[/p]( Press Release Image: https://photos.webwire.com/prmedia/8/325293/325293-1.png )
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