Danny Rohl has explained Sheffield Wednesday’s stance on Pierce Charles’ future.
Pierce Charles joined Sheffield Wednesday from Manchester City’s academy in 2021, before coming up through The Owls’ youth ranks in the years that followed.
The arrival of Devis Vasquez from AC Milan in the summer left the teenager as third-choice behind Cameron Dawson and the Colombian, while James Beadle’s arrival from Brighton kept him far down the pecking order.
Charles’ lack of game-time led to talks of a potential loan exit this month, with Danny Rohl heaping praise on him as he looked to earn him regular football elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Rohl said: “I think there will be a decision in the next weeks, for sure. We need to do what is best for him – I see him as a potential goalkeeper for the future for the club, which is good, so it’s about making a decision that is right for the club and what we need, but also good for Pierce.
“We’ll decide together, and then we’ll look at what we can do. At the moment I’m very happy, very fine, with the goalkeepers that are here.”
However, the 18-year-old was handed an unexpected senior debut at the weekend, with both Beadle and Dawson unavailable for their FA Cup clash with Coventry City.
Beadle, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Oxford United, was cup-tied, while Dawson went onto pick up an injury that left him sidelined.
Charles was thrown in at the deep end but received great praise for his debut display, with Josh Windass hailing him as ‘outstanding’ and Di’Shon Bernard claiming The Owls were ‘saved’ by the young goalkeeper.
Charles’ impressive performance has assured Rohl that he can rely on the teenager, while the German has now admitted his future could depend on Dawson’s injury.
Speaking to The Star, Rohl said: “We will take a look and consider how big the injury is, what we can do, how long it will take for him to recover. We have to find the right way and to decide how it is best for us as a club to make sure we have a good goalkeeping group together. We will make a final decision in the next days while we wait for a clear answer on what it means and how long he is out. Maybe it will be quicker but perhaps not as we will need to be sure what is best for our situation to be prepared.”
Rohl also claimed that Dawson could be out for a month, though it is ‘difficult’ to say.
“We have to look,” he said. “It could be a little bit longer. It is his knee and it is about the feeling, how safe he is feeling. It could be a little bit longer, hopefully not too long. We have a strong group together in the goalkeepers. It is difficult to say how long, it could be four weeks, it could be shorter and it could also be longer. It is difficult and we will look from week to week.”
Should Sheffield Wednesday keep hold of Pierce Charles?
Pierce Charles showed he is certainly capable of making the step up to the senior team at short notice, though it is clear his game time will still be very limited if he is to stay at Hillsborough.
A loan exit for him right now does seem a risk though given Cameron Dawson’s injury. Sheffield Wednesday really can’t rely on James Beadle to be their only available goalkeeper until the 28-year-old returns.
It makes more sense to keep hold of Charles until the end of the season to add some more depth in Dawson’s absence, before potentially letting him leave on loan in the summer.