QPR have made a £1m offer to Dundee for centre-back Luke Graham, but Portsmouth are expected to make another bid after having a £400,000 offer rejected, while Sheffield United, Aberdeen and Hearts are also interested in the 21-year-old. (LondonWorld), external
Read all the latest EFL transfer rumours in Friday's gossip column here.
Ipswich Town will be aiming for fifth successive win when they make the trip to Sheffield United on Saturday (15:00 GMT).
The Tractor Boys are on a run of six league games undefeated, briefly occupying the automatic promotion spots after a win over Bristol City on Tuesday before Middlesbrough knocked them down to third with their win over Stoke the next day.
Should Boro fail to beat Preston North End in the early afternoon fixture, Ipswich will enter Bramall Lane with the opportunity to retake second spot.
But the Blades have given their home fans much to cheer about on home soil lately and would love to earn some redemption for their hefty defeat at Portman Road in earlier in the season.
Sheffield United lost 5-0 in the reverse fixture against Ipswich Town this season (September 2025); their heaviest ever league defeat against the Tractor Boys.
Ipswich Town will be looking to achieve a league double over Sheffield United for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, also in the second tier.
Sheffield United are unbeaten across their last six home league games (W4 D2), keeping four clean sheets in that time. It's as many shutouts as the Blades managed across their prior 19 matches at Bramall Lane combined.
Ipswich have won their last four league games, with three of those coming in 2026. Only twice have they won their first four league games in a calendar year, doing so in 1956 and 1960.
Patrick Bamford has scored three goals in five home league appearances for Sheffield United. Despite joining the club in November, he's already their joint-top scorer at home in the Championship this season (also 3 for Callum O'Hare).
Wilder: 'Got to take something from that game'
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder spoke to BBC Radio Sheffield following their 1-0 defeat by Southampton.
"We have to take something from that game, especially in the second half," he said.
"They started brighter than us and got the deflected goal but we have to take something from that game, in the last five or 10 minutes we could have won 3-1 with the chances we had.
"Second half we passed it better and won more duels, we dominated them but they found their goal from a deflection and we failed to find ours because we weren't clinical.
"As much as the defeat and result pains me, we have a team that has a right go but I want us to have a right go and get something from the game and I feel we deserved something."
Image source, ShutterstockTom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Luton Town in December 2023
All English Football League games across a four-day period in February will begin one minute late to raise awareness for the Every Minute Matters campaign.
The initiative will be in place for 36 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two between 5 and 9 February.
EFL sponsor Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have been working together since May 2024 to highlight the importance of speed when it comes to performing live-saving CPR.
Later kick-off times will serve as "a stark reminder that every minute matters", the EFL said.
Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer collapsed while playing for Luton Town eight minutes into the Championship play-off final against Coventry in May 2023.
Lockyer then suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch seven months later during a Premier League game at Bournemouth.
"What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Lockyer, who is now a BHF ambassador.
"Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and most of them never make it home.
"I'm here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.
"This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given."
Throughout February, the Every Minute Matters campaign will call on fans to learn CPR using the BHF's online RevivR, external tool.
"Each minute without CPR reduces a person's chance of survival, so we're urging fans to learn the skills now, before you ever need them," said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF.
EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: "The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death."
Serie A side Genoa have approached Sheffield United to sign out-of-favour Swedish centre-back Nils Zatterstrom. The 20-year-old moved to Bramall Lane from Malmo in August but is yet to make an appearance for the Blades. (La Repubblica - in Italian), external
Read all the latest EFL transfer rumours in Wednesday's gossip column here.
Image source, ShutterstockSheffield United boss Chris Wilder has confirmed he will be without Jairo Riedewald for "a couple of weeks" after the defensive midfielder missed Saturday's defeat at Charlton with a hamstring injury.
The 29-year-old has made 12 league starts for the Blades since arriving in October on a free transfer from Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
This season, United have had to manage the minutes of midfielders Oli Arblaster, Sydie Peck and Tom Davies, who have all suffered their own injury problems.
Their engine room will be further depleted for the midweek trip to Southampton after Djibril Soumare's red card at The Valley which triggers a three-game ban.
"It's a big, big blow, and with the situation with Oli, Sydie and Tom, it was a big blow to miss him on Saturday and it will be tomorrow night and going into the weekend," Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield.
"He's going to be out for a couple of weeks. It capped off a really disappointing and strange 48 hours from where we were.
"Let's see what happens after the Ipswich game and hopefully he'll be available for the Millwall game [on 31 January].
"[It's a ] big blow for him as well because I think everybody's really seen the type of character he is and what he does for the team and how he makes the team tick."
Image source, BBC SportSheffield United have joined Birmingham and Coventry in the hunt for Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka. The Bees are reportedly open to the 28-year-old Nigerian leaving the club on loan or permanently this window. (Daily Mail), external
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Check out Tuesday's gossip column here
Image source, Getty ImagesSheffield United have had an appeal to rescind Saturday's red card for captain Japhet Tanganga turned down by the Football Association.
The defender was shown a straight red by referee Oliver Langford in first-half stoppage time of the 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic after catching Addicks midfielder Sonny Carey with a leading elbow during an aerial challenge.
United had to play the entire second half with nine men after Djibril Soumare had earlier been dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Harvey Knibbs.
After the match, boss Chris Wilder labelled the decision to send Tanganga off "ridiculous" and that the challenge was a "yellow [card] at very best".
The pair will now miss the Blades' next three Championship fixtures starting with their trip to Southampton on Wednesday, as well as matches against Ipswich Town and Tanganga's former side, Millwall.
Image source, OptaSouthampton and Sheffield United will seek to get back to winning ways as they meet at St Mary's on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).
Saints went down 2-1 at home to Hull City on Saturday and are now 15th and winless in seven games, taking just three points and scoring five times in that run.
The inconsistent Blades have won three and lost three across their past six games and are one point and two places below their hosts after finishing with nine-men as they went down 1-0 at Charlton on Saturday.
Southampton have won each of their past five league meetings with Sheffield United; in their Football League history, only against three sides have they won 6+ in a row: Hull (6 from 2011 to 2015), Crystal Palace twice (6 from 1955 to 1958, 7 from 2009 to 2015), and Newport County (8 from 1922 to 1955).
Sheffield United have lost on their past two league visits to Southampton, but have never lost three in a row at the Saints before.
Southampton have only lost one of their past 26 home games on a Wednesday in the second tier (W18 D7), although that was to Sheffield United in December 2005 (0-1).
Sheffield United have won their past two league games on a Wednesday, last winning three in a row on this day of the week in March 2021 in the Premier League.
Sheffield United's Chris Wilder has lost all five of his league games as a manager against Southampton, only facing Liverpool more without picking up a point (6).
Chris Wilder was proud of the performance of his side after they were reduced to nine men
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield after his side's 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic:
On Japhet Tanganga's red card: "It's just ridiculous - yellow at very best. [He's] committed to a header, gone for it, not gone to elbow the guy, just committed, eyes on the ball, mistimed it - it's a yellow.
"The referee couldn't wait to get his red card out. It was unbelievable how quickly he did it. No discussion with the fourth [official], no discussion with the linesman who was right alongside it.
"Second half, incredible amount of cynical fouls by them, which I get when we're trying to get back into the game.
"I fancied us 11 versus 10, maybe a little bit more difficult when it was down to nine. But we still had a go, I thought the shape of the team was great - the amount of effort that the boys put in was incredible."
Image source, Getty ImagesSheffield United striker Patrick Bamford has won the English Football League's player of the month award for December.
Bamford scored four goals across the Blades' six Championship games in December, including a double in their thrilling 5-3 defeat against Wrexham.
"I'm really happy. I'm surprised, I guess, a little bit because I wasn't ever thinking about any individual awards and that was the least of my priorities when coming in, but I think it's testament to the group and the staff and the players," Bamford said., external
"I know it's an individual award, but obviously, as a striker, you can't do it without your team-mates, so I owe a lot to them for that."
He beat Norwich forward Jovon Makama, Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and Leicester midfielder Bobby De Cordova-Reid for the award.
This is a first league meeting between these two in London for nearly 10 years with Charlton looking for only their second win in their past five matches.
Sheffield United are yet to draw an away league game so far this season.
Charlton have won three of their past five league games against Sheffield United (D1 L1), including a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane this season.
This is Sheffield United's first visit to Charlton in the league since a 1-1 draw in League One in November 2016, while in the Championship it is their first since a 5-2 win in November 2008.
Charlton are one of only two sides, along with Sheffield Wednesday, who have faced more shots than they have had themselves in all three game states in the Championship this season: when drawing (72), losing (8) and winning (30).
Sheffield United have won seven of their past 10 Championship matches (D1 L2). Since the date of the first game in this run (23 November), the Blades have won the most points of any side in the division (22).
Patrick Bamford has scored six goals in 11 appearances in all competitions for Sheffield United. Since his debut for the Blades, the only Championship players with more goals are Norwich's Jovon Makama (9) and Morgan Whitaker of Middlesbrough (7) across all competitions.
Image source, Getty ImagesSheffield United striker Patrick Bamford and Norwich forward Jovon Makama have been nominated for the Championship's player of the month award for December along with Preston goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and Leicester midfielder Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
Bamford signed an 18-month contract with Sheffield United earlier this month having initially joined on a short-term deal in November.
The 32-year-old has scored six goals in 11 appearances for the Blades, including four in December.
Norwich's Makama is the Canaries' leading scorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions.
He scored twice in a victory over Southampton last month, once in a draw at Preston and the winner against Charlton - those goals worth a valuable seven points to a relegation-threatened Norwich side.
Iversen has kept eight clean sheets for Preston so far this season and vital saves against the leaders Coventry and Stoke in December helped the Lilywhites into fourth place.
With four goals in six games, meanwhile, De Cordova-Reid had a prolific December for Leicester as he scored in three successive matches.
The winner will be announced on Friday, 16 January.
Sheffield United have enquired about taking former England midfielder Ross Barkley, 32, on loan from Aston Villa. (Pete O'Rourke), external
Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.
Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter
Image source, ShutterstockSheffield United might have gone out of the FA Cup at the weekend to League One Mansfield but the news of Patrick Bamford's contract extension should outweigh any disappointment.
The 32-year-old striker has shown he still has plenty left in the tank and the stats back that up.
He's scored five goals in 10 league appearances (six starts) and he bagged another in the cup on Sunday. His goals scored per 90 minutes is 0.93 – nobody has a higher mark in the Championship currently.
This has clearly impacted United's overall scoring rate. The Blades are the top scorers in the second tier over the past eight games with 19 goals.
No team has accrued more points than United in the past 10 games either and they've claimed a 70% share of total xG. This has enabled United to jump to fourth in the league for xG.
Manager Chris Wilder made a point of highlighting the need for a number nine upon his arrival. With Bamford secured, the results are evident.
There are still improvements to be made defensively. Only three teams have conceded more, with United having played a game fewer than most. Yet as an attacking force, the Blades are now a different animal.
It's another example of Wilder's ability to create an environment for individuals to excel. David McGoldrick is the best of numerous previous examples. And Bamford is the latest. The boss has a keen eye for an opportunity then making the most of it.
Having waited patiently for the right opportunity this season after a barren spell in front of goal to end his time at Leeds, the one-cap England international has now returned to the form that helped the Whites to promotion in the past.
You could argue there might not be a more impactful Championship addition during this January transfer window.
There's still work to be done and further deals to be completed by the Blades. With Bamford leading the line though, there's evidence United can continue to move up the table.
