When Sheffield United confirmed the signing of attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare, social media was flooded with negative and bitter comments from his former supporters at Coventry City.
O’Hare, 26, spent four years with the Sky Blues – scoring 22 times and providing 30 assists. Some of his contributions were vital including in last season’s thrilling FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, where his goal from outside of the box sent the game to 3-2 before Haji Wright’s equaliser in the 95th minute from the penalty spot.
A Coventry City fan pundit spoke to Football League World about the move, “I think it’s a sideways move, in many ways.
“He said he wanted to leave to play Premier League football and it would appear that nothing really materialised from there.
“I just find it a bit bizarre. You look at his numbers last season: 31 league games, six goals, three assists – and they don’t exactly scream that he’s a marquee number ten signing or the sort you want when pushing for promotion.”
Are these bitter comments?
It does make for a good read when fans of their former players try to make out a team has signed a poor player from them. In reality, those 31 league games can be broken down into 18 starts, averaging 57 minutes per game. When you break it down like that: six goals and three assists doesn’t sound bad at all considering he was coming back from a bad injury.
In the 2020/21 Championship campaign, where he had zero injuries, the Solihull-born midfielder registered three goals and eight assists. The season after, he scored five times and served up eight assists. To get 24 goal contributions in two seasons is quite some going when you factor in that he can’t dilute those numbers with freekicks and penalties because Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokores were on the vast majority of dead-ball situations.
A statistical breakdown of Callum O’Hare
Last season, O’Hare emerged as a standout performer among Championship attacking midfielders, despite coming off the back of a long-term injury. His defensive contributions were particularly notable, ranking in the 82nd percentile for tackles, with most of these occurring in the middle third of the pitch. His effectiveness in dispossessing dribblers was even more impressive, placing him in the 92nd percentile, underlining his exceptional work rate off the ball.
One of O’Hare’s key strengths is his ability to receive and retain the ball in advanced, congested areas, a skill reminiscent of Iliman Ndiaye. He ranked in the 83rd percentile for touches in the attacking third and in the 87th percentile for offensive duels. This indicates his proficiency in shielding the ball from defenders, maneuvering to maintain possession, and sustaining the attack. His knack for drawing fouls, ranking in the 84th percentile, further illustrates his ability to handle the ball under pressure and disrupt the opposition.
