How David Storch feels about selling Pierce Charles as Man City circle | OneFootball

The Sheffield Wednesday owner has been a long-time admirer of the Northern Irish goalkeeper

Sheffield Wednesday are set for yet another transfer window where one of their main priorities will be to keep Pierce Charles at Hillsborough.

The 20-year-old has emerged as one of the top goalkeeper prospects in the EFL over the past 12 months, as the young shot-stopper was tasked with being the man to keep the ball out of the net during a season where the Wednesday squad was threadbare when it came to quality.

Charles did that exceptionally well in the limited time he had in goal this past season. Multiple shoulder injuries limited him to just 19 league outings, but he still kept a couple of clean sheets, averaged over four saves per game and twice registered 11 saves, both in games against Leicester City.

Those injuries at such a young age haven't proven to be red flags for the elite sides in England who want to take him from the League One side, with TEAMtalk reporting over the weekend that Manchester City are interested in bringing their former academy keeper back to the Etihad Stadium to replace an outgoing James Trafford.

If City do come calling, it'll be difficult to turn them down, but everyone at Sheffield Wednesday is keen to do whatever it takes to retain his services this summer.

How David Storch feels about Pierce Charles

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Since the Arise takeover on the final day of last season, David Storch has already shown in just over six weeks how committed he is to Sheffield Wednesday and how he wants to oversee a return to being one of England's elite clubs during his time at Hillsborough.

His deep interest in matters concerning the Owls runs further back than that, though, as he expressed his desire to keep Charles at Hillsborough before the takeover was complete.

Per the Sheffield Star, Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen outlined how well thought of Charles is amongst the new ownership following his stellar performance against Leicester on Easter Monday.

"In the big picture, we want to be a club that can find and develop talent, let them be effective in the first team and make a sustainable financial model. For Pierce, we will do all we can to keep him in this phase here," the Danish boss said.

"He is part of our identity, and we would love to have time as part of our future. I know David, and everyone loves him — and that everyone will do everything to keep him. Let's see what happens when the season is done."

Sheffield Wednesday opened talks with Charles over a new contract at the end of the season, emphasising David Storch's desire to keep him at Hillsborough for at least the start of the new era under the Arise ownership.

If the Owls can persuade the 20-year-old to stay with them this summer, he could quite easily be one of the best in his position in the third tier next year, increasing Wednesday's chances at immediate promotion back to the Championship.

Pierce Charles' progression won't be stunted in League One next season

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It's often the thought that when a club gets relegated, their young prospects who emerged into the first team in the division above look to move on to further their development at a higher level.

In Charles' case, though, a year in League One won't be too detrimental to his progression. Goalkeepers' careers often last much longer than outfielders', and there isn't an immediate rush to make it at the highest level in your early twenties. In fact, young goalkeepers often get overlooked at the top level for a more established shot-stopper.

After an injury-plagued year in between the sticks, it'd be much more important for Charles to prove he can play 46 games a season than move to be someone's understudy at a top team for a few years.

That's what Wednesday will be saying to try and persuade the Northern Irishman to remain at Hillsborough for the foreseeable, anyway. A strong campaign in the third tier would only serve to stoke this interest, which would benefit the Owls in the long run when it comes to getting a healthier fee for him.

It would be hard to turn down one of the world's biggest sides if Manchester City did come in for him. However, remaining at Sheffield Wednesday this season would arguably be better for Charles' growth, and that's what David Storch and co will be trying to tell the young keeper throughout the summer.