Southampton head coach Russell Martin has refused to rule out the possibility of recalling midfielder Shea Charles from his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday in January, but he hinted that he will be allowed to remain at Hillsborough for the season.
Charles joined Southampton from Manchester City last summer in a deal for up to £15 million, and he made 38 appearances across all competitions last season to help Martin’s side win promotion from the Championship.
However, Charles was deemed surplus to needs at St Mary’s in the Premier League, therefore he joined Wednesday on a season-long loan in the final week of the summer transfer window.
Charles has had a significant impact at Hillsborough, starting every league game for the Owls since his arrival, and he was named the club’s Player of the Month for October following a string of strong performances.
Shea Charles’ Sheffield Wednesday stats this season (according to Sofascore)
Appearances
15
Starts
15
Goals
1
Assists
1
Interceptions per game.
1.3
Tackles per game
3.2
Balls recovered per game.
6.5
Total duels won.
58%
Passing Accuracy
81%
However, Rohl expressed concern in October that Charles could be recalled by the Saints in January, and that may not be the only threat to Wednesday’s chances of keeping the 21-year-old, with reports emerging last month claiming that Premier League giants Arsenal are keeping an eye on him as a potential future signing.
Russell Martin outlines Southampton’s Shea Charles stance
Martin stated that Southampton had the option to recall Charles in January, and he did not rule out the prospect of doing so, but he reiterated that he would only bring the midfielder back to St Mary’s if he was to be a regular starter.
“I think Shea went on loan to do exactly what he’s done, to play every single week, rather than to be a squad player here,” Martin told the Southern Daily Echo.
“It was his first full season last year, and we wanted him to improve on it. We’re incredibly delighted with his progress. It has turned out just as we hoped, both for him and for us.
“It has gone extremely well and will continue to do so. We have another month to analyze things. We have the opportunity to recall Shea if we choose.
“But we’re not going to call him back until he’s going to come back in and play, impact the team, and be a major contributor for us.
“He should keep doing what he is doing. We’ll continue to examine our situation and what we need, but he’s always been in our plans. Same with Sam Edozie.
“We are confident that he will be a key player for us; otherwise, we would not have invested so much money in him. He had a really strong first season.
“He played a lot of games and had a big impact on many of them for us. In his debut professional season, he was a member of a promotion-winning club.
“He’s had a tremendous season in terms of minutes played. We will analyze it. We’re in daily contact with him, and we’ll see what happens in January.
Russell Martin comments will be encouraging for Sheffield Wednesday
Wednesday supporters are obviously apprehensive about losing Charles in January, but Martin’s remarks should reassure them.
While Martin did not rule out recalling Charles, he stated that he would only bring him back if he was going to play regularly at St Mary’s, and given Southampton’s current midfield depth, it appears unlikely he would receive many minutes in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Charles has had a fantastic few months since his loan move, with the midfielder impressing for the Owls and becoming Northern Ireland’s youngest ever captain during the last international break, and as Martin says, the Saints have high hopes for his future.
However, allowing Charles to stay at Hillsborough for the rest of the season would be the best decision for all parties, and Wednesday should be confident that they will keep him until the summer.
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