Ruben Selles has succeeded Chris Wilder as Sheffield United manager, it has been announced.
The Blades confirmed the departure of Wilder on Wednesday before announcing the appointment of Selles 45 minutes later.
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On his arrival at Bramall Lane, Selles said: “When we first heard about the possibility of coming here, it was a no-brainer for us to join a club with this kind of history and with a mission to move forward and try to be even more competitive.
“This is a very powerful and ambitious project. It was very important at the start of the conversations that everyone is on the same page.
“We need to embrace data and new technologies, but the most important thing is not to forget the football essence. I think we are capable of delivering a good model and optimise our performance by using all the tools that we have.
“Our identity is always very clear. We want to be aggressive, we want to make things happen. So, the fans can expect a team which is not going to wait or be reactive, we will be proactive, we are going to go and try and be as competitive as we can in every single game.
“If we can do that then we’ll give ourselves a very good chance of winning games.”
Selles is tasked with steering Sheffield United back into the Premier League after their Championship play-off heartache, which saw them suffer a stoppage-time defeat to Sunderland in the final at Wembley.
The Spaniard was sacked as Hull boss last month despite keeping them in the Championship.
As for Wilder, he guided the Blades to third in the table after their automatic promotion charge faltered in the closing weeks of the season.
Despite the nature of their play-off defeat, Wilder was hailed for his class act in the wake of the final.
He spoke to talkSPORT the following morning, admitting he was still ‘suffering’ from the loss as he looked ahead to the summer.
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Wilder leaves Bramall Lane after returning for a second spell as manager in December 2023.
His contract had been due to run through until the summer of 2028, with three years remaining.
However, the 57-year-old has been relieved of his duties after failing to secure an immediate Premier League return.
A statement from the club read: “Sheffield United can confirm a mutually agreed decision has been reached for manager Chris Wilder to leave the football club.
“Chris will leave alongside coaches Alan Knill and Matt Prestridge, and in doing so depart with the best wishes and gratitude of everyone connected with Sheffield United.
“A Blade through and through, the legacy Chris and his staff have created here will never be forgotten, going right back to 2016 when he initially took the job with the club rooted in League One.
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“Between 2016 and 2021, he guided the club to two promotions and a ninth-place finish in the Premier League, creating an era which will go down as one of the most fondly remembered in the club’s history.
“After returning to the club during a difficult period in 2023, he has provided stability and created a new team which earned a Steel City derby double amongst other notable highlights last season.
“Showing his calibre as a manager, he guided the club to third place finish, collecting 92 points, before a heartbreaking conclusion in the play-off final.
“Our owners, COH Sports, would wish to place on record our thanks to Chris and his staff for their efforts whilst at the helm and will be extending their own appreciation in due course.”
Wilder twice won promotion with the Blades in his first spell in charge, having won League One in 2017 before securing top-flight football two years later.
The first time he was sacked was in March 2021 with the club bottom of the Premier League.
After leaving United four years ago, Wilder went on to manage Middlesbrough and Watford in the Championship.
However, he returned to his former club, where he also spent time as a player, midway through the 2023/24 season.
Having replaced Paul Heckingbottom, he was unable to avoid relegation from the top-flight.
The Blades ended the campaign bottom of the table and 16 points from safety.
Across his two stints in the the dugout, Wilder won 140 of his 305 matches with the club.