Sheffield Wednesday fans have found a new favourite in Southampton loan man Shea Charles.
Sheffield Wednesday signed Shea Charles on loan from Southampton during the summer transfer window, with the Northern Ireland midfielder becoming the Owls’ last summer signing.
And so far, there’s a case to say that Charles has been Danny Rohl’s best signing of the season so far.
The 20-year-old has featured six times in the Championship this season. Charles earned huge praise vs Coventry City last time out, scoring the late winner in a 2-1 win.
Formerly of Manchester City, Southampton signed Charles for a reported fee of £12million in the summer of 2023, with Charles going on to feature 33 times in the Championship last season.
Since their promotion to the Premier League, Russell Martin’s side have struggled, currently sitting in 19th place of the table with just one point after seven games.
It’s led to fears among Sheffield Wednesday fans that Charles could be recalled by the Saints in January, with the south-coast club having the option to do so.
Will Southampton recall Shea Charles from Sheffield Wednesday in January
Rohl has already hinted at fears over Charles being recalled during the January transfer window.
But speaking to Sheffield Wednesday News, Southampton expert Fraser Spinney, who writes for Southampton FC News, played down the chances of Charles being recalled in January.
He said: “Southampton will be pleased to see Shea Charles doing so well on loan and it is exactly the scenario they would have hoped for when they made the decision to send him to Sheffield Wednesday.
“Despite their poor start to the season, I feel that Southampton are unlikely to look at recalling Charles in January; Russell Martin views Charles as a defensive midfielder and they have both Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu in that role.
“Charles struggled to earn Martin’s trust last season and that is unlikely to have changed just yet, even though the Saints boss will be happy with Charles’ development on loan.
“Southampton view Charles as a player with a bright future at the club. But I think they are very unlikely to stall his development by recalling him early this winter.”
Sheffield Wednesday still need to prepare for Shea Charles exit
Whether or not Charles leaves in January, one thing is certain; he’ll leave Hillsborough at some point.
He’s Southampton’s player and he remains a very exciting prospect, and even if the Saints get relegated, they’ll no doubt turn to Charles as a key player for next season.
Like Spinney suggests, it seems unlikely that Southampton will recall Charles; realistically, his inexperience would do very little to keep Southampton in the Premier League.
He’s gaining great experience in S6. He’s playing first-team football every week and getting better every game, so it’s in Southampton’s best interests to keep his development on track.
That said, Rohl should certainly look into finding an eventual replacement for Charles, ideally in January, as he’ll be gone by next summer at the latest.