Talk to Sheffield United supporters about their free-scoring defender Anel Ahmedhodzic and the soundbites are always the same.
“Loves getting forward…. great finisher…. already a crowd favourite…. how good could this boy be?”
Well, Ahmedhodzic has his own take on his emergence as one of the finest talents outside of English football’s top flight.
“I think I can go all the way,” the 23-year-old centre-half, a £4.1million summer signing from Swedish outfit Malmo, tells The Sportsman.
“Of course my goal is to play in the Premier League next year with Sheffield United.
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“That’s my main focus right now but there is no limit to how good I can be and I want to play in the Champions League week in and week out.
“I did that with Malmo last season and I enjoyed it because I knew I had to stay focused all the time.
“If you switch off for a second, you will concede a goal. I want to experience the Champions League again, but first it’s about getting promoted this year.”
Three goals in his last four games have rapidly earned the Bosnia and Herzegovina international a place in the hearts of Blades fans.
Ahmedhodzic’s ability, indeed willingness, to support the attack from his position in United’s back three has earned comparisons with team-mate Chris Basham, who he is currently keeping out of the team.
Only Ahmedhodzic, loquacious, articulate and engaging off the field, is scoring goals too.
His presence has certainly given an extra dimension to Paul Heckingbottom’s high-flying Blades, who head to Hull on Sunday aiming to reinforce their promotion pedigree.
Ahmedhodzic, who speaks perfect English, adds: “Of course I’m in good form, but I feel I can give much more.
“I think I can put in more tackles, make more clever runs and create even more chances for the team.
“Yes, I can be definitely be more dangerous in games, especially when we play away from home.”
Listening to Ahmedhodzic assess his attacking threat, it is easy to forget he is a strapping central defender, albeit one with remarkable attacking prowess and eye for goal.
United’s acquisition of the 6ft 3in star is proving one of the bargains of the summer, certainly in the Championship.
He was born and raised in Sweden before joining Nottingham Forest in July 2016.
His time at the City Ground harvested just six minutes of first-team football as a substitute in a 3-1 Championship defeat at Newcastle United on December 30, 2016.
Not that his time at the two-time European Cup winners was wasted – far from it.
“I enjoyed it at Forest in their academy because I improved so much as a player but especially as a person,” Ahmedhodzic explains.
“I worked with Jack Lester, who is on the first-team coaching staff here at Sheffield United now, and Gary Brazil.
“They were a big part of my development and they pushed me every day to train harder and have a professional lifestyle.
“I was still young and I’m very happy that I made that move to England early in my career.
“The best development a young player can have is from coming to England because everything is so professional.
“It gives you the right mentality from an early age. You can have all the talent in the world, but mentality is so important.”
Ahmedhodzic returned to his native Sweden in 2019 and made his name at Malmo, where his performances attracted admiring glances from across Europe.
Anel Ahmedhodzic's first goal of the night, a brilliant volley.
He was on Chelsea’s radar and Italian outfit Atalanta tried to sign him.
Ahmedhodzic recalls: “Last summer I was very close to going to Serie A, but I wanted to play in the Champions League with Malmo, so I stayed there.
“I played in the Champions League and then in January I went on loan to Bordeaux.
“I was in talks with Hecky and was excited to come to United then, but it just wasn’t the right time.
“I’ve had so much interest these past two years – and subsequently a lot of headaches – but I always wanted to come here. I love being a Blade.”
Ahmedhodzic made an outstanding debut for United in last month’s 2-0 home win over Millwall.
He scored one goal and created another in the recent 2-1 victory over Sunderland at Bramall Lane and on Tuesday night he bagged a brilliant volley and a deft header in the 4-0 demolition of Reading.
Ahmedhodzic is refusing to divulge his goal target for the season but has a little wager with his agent over how many times he can find the net.
“I’ve always created a lot of chances to score but I’ve always missed a lot too,” he says.
“Now, though, my heading and my finishing has improved and I seem to get at least once chance per game. It’s just about taking those chances.”
The scars of last season’s Championship play-off semi-final defeat against Forest are healing for Heckingbottom’s team.
They have enjoyed a successful transfer window, signing Ahmedhodzic and keeping Norway midfielder Sander Berge amid interest from Club Brugge and several Premier League clubs.
“I speak to Sander a lot and I’m so happy that he’s staying here,” says Ahmedhodzic.
“We talk about many things but mostly football – how I want him to move and how he wants me to move during games.
“Even when we’re eating breakfast, I will say ‘yes, you should go there into that space’.
“It’s all about football and we love it here. He’s really helped me since I came to United.”
Ahemdhodzic is enjoying life in Sheffield and his wife Marijana, who he married earlier this summer, recently joined him in the Steel City.
“The only problem has been that her visa took a while to arrive, so I was here on my own for two months,” he says.
“But as soon as she arrived, I scored two goals against Reading, so life here is good, I really like it.
“There is maybe a bit too much traffic in the morning, but I can live with that.”
Anel Ahmedhodžić with his second goal of the game last night. 🇧🇦
Ahmedhozic grew up idolising the likes of former Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic, Sweden legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic and ex-Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, his international team-mate.
“I started to watch Dzeko when he was playing for Wolfsburg and then, when he joined City, I was about 10 or 11,” remembers Ahmedhodzic.
“I became a Man City fan because of him – he was one of my idols but I have always looked up to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.”
Ahmedhodzic represented Sweden during his formative years and says pledging his international allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina was a lengthy process.
“It was a very difficult choice because, with respect to Sweden, I played over 50 games in the youth ranks there,” he says.
“I even made my first-team debut in a friendly game but then Bosnia came into the picture and I knew straight away I wanted to play for them.
“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be one of those 11 players standing on the pitch singing the Bosnian anthem.
“Both my parents are from Sarajevo and I wanted to honour their ancestry, but the biggest reason was my personal choice and what I felt was most fitting for me.”
Self-belief drips rom Ahmedhodzic, as does ambition.
“If I don’t believe in myself, then who will?” he reasons.
“I just want to improve every game and make sure that everyone in the team performs, not just me.
“The main thing is the team and if I can help my team-mates get better, maybe by making a run to create space for them, then I will do it.
“Like I say, there is no limit to how good I can become.”
