Sheffield Wednesday’s impressive young goalkeeper Pierce Charles is attracting significant attention from Premier League clubs, with Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa among those reportedly interested in securing his services. However, pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Wednesday will resist any attempts to poach their prized asset during the January transfer window.
Charles, 19, has been a standout performer for Wednesday this season, starting all four of the club’s EFL Cup games and keeping three clean sheets in four appearances for Northern Ireland. His rapid progress has not gone unnoticed, with top-flight clubs taking note of his potential.
Despite the growing interest in Charles, Palmer is confident that Wednesday will not sell him in January. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Palmer said. “Danny Rohl has come out and said he’s back-up to James Beadle at the moment, but he is only on loan from Brighton. I don’t see any chance that Sheffield Wednesday will allow Pierce Charles to leave the football club, and certainly not in this January transfer window.”
Palmer’s assessment is backed up by Wednesday’s current form, with the club sitting just three points off the play-offs. Manager Danny Rohl has done an impressive job in guiding the team to this point, and the last thing the club’s hierarchy will want to do is sell one of their most promising young players.
However, Palmer acknowledges that if a Premier League club were to make a significant bid for Charles, Wednesday may be tempted to sell. “If a club like Tottenham or Aston Villa came in and paid top dollar for him, they could loan him back for the rest of the season, and that may be something they could look at in terms of bringing in other players to the squad,” Palmer said.
For now, though, it seems that Charles is going nowhere. Wednesday’s fans will be relieved to hear that their prized asset is likely to stay put, at least for the time being. As Palmer says, “This is what you want, you want your young players to do well and to be considered and looked at by top clubs.”