A Sheffield United player’s romantic relationship with his manager’s daughter has entered a new chapter following a Sunday night Instagram announcement revealing the couple are expecting their first child together.
Martha Elizabeth Wilder—daughter of Blades boss Chris Wilder—shared polaroid photographs displaying her pregnancy bump, baby scans and loved-up selfies with 22-year-old midfielder Oliver Arblaster, captioning the post ‘+1’ alongside a white heart emoji.
The revelation prompted heartwarming congratulatory messages including from United teammates Femi Seriki and Louie Marsh, whilst Arblaster’s mother appeared disclosing the child’s gender through her comment: “He will be the most loved gorgeous boy – I can’t wait to be his Nannie.”
Neither the couple’s relationship timeline nor manager Wilder’s public response to the pairing have been revealed, creating an intriguing family-professional dynamic at Bramall Lane where the legendary boss oversees his daughter’s partner’s career development.
Arblaster represents one of Sheffield United’s most promising academy graduates, having broken into the first team during recent seasons with the 22-year-old making his Premier League debut throughout 2023/24 whilst steadily establishing himself with 18 appearances this campaign.
However, his season commenced slowly due to recovery from a long-term ACL injury, with the midfielder restricted to substitute appearances since the new year began as he rebuilds match fitness following the serious knee problem.
Wilder’s managerial tenure at Sheffield United has achieved legendary status having guided the club from League One through to the Premier League, though he won’t repeat such promotion heroics this season with the Blades languishing 17th in the Championship—14 points adrift of playoff positions with promotion ambitions effectively extinguished.
The personal news arrives during a challenging professional period for both manager and player, with the second-tier struggles contrasting sharply with the happy domestic developments for Arblaster and Martha Elizabeth Wilder as they prepare for parenthood.
The couple’s Instagram announcement showcased multiple polaroid-style images celebrating the pregnancy milestone, with the intimate social media reveal generating widespread support from teammates, family members and supporters who flooded the comments section with congratulatory messages.
Arblaster’s progression through Sheffield United’s youth system to first-team regular represents a success story for the club’s academy infrastructure, with the midfielder’s development now occurring under the watchful eye of a manager who will soon share grandparent duties alongside professional responsibilities guiding his daughter’s partner’s career trajectory.
