Sheffield Wednesday: Chris Waddle issues Man City transfer warning to Pierce Charles | OneFootball

Pierce Charles has been linked with a move to Manchester City

Sheffield Wednesday have a busy summer ahead of them following David Storch’s takeover of the club.

The Owls went into administration in October, and this has led to Arise Capital becoming the new owners.

The club suffered relegation to League One, and will now be looking to rebuild the first team squad after several stars departed over the last 12 months.

Henrik Pedersen will be keen to improve the quality within the team, with the Yorkshire outfit looking to get back to a competitive level.

Sheffield Wednesday won only 18 points as they finished 24th in the Championship, all of which were deducted by the EFL.

However, it may still prove difficult to hold onto their remaining talent as well, even with the new owners in place.

Chris Waddle offers warning to Pierce Charles

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Chris Waddle has warned Pierce Charles about a potential move to Manchester City, suggesting he will not get game time ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma despite impressing in his performances for Sheffield Wednesday.

The goalkeeper has been linked with the Premier League side, where he was previously a part of their academy system, but he’s unsure if that is the right move at this stage of his career, as he expects offers to come from elsewhere as well.

“Someone will take a dabble at him,” said Waddle, via The Yorkshire Post.

“He's proved that he's a very good ‘keeper with his feet, we know that.

“He's done well, I watched him for Northern Ireland, he had a couple of saves to do but his distribution and his calmness on the ball is very good.

“He’s a modern-day goalkeeper.

“It was years ago you wanted goalkeepers who would come and catch crosses and be 6ft 5.

“Now, goalkeepers, you want them to play with their feet, especially at a higher level, and that ticks a lot of boxes with Pierce Charles.

“He will have offers.

“There’s talk of Man City. Man City seem to buy everybody.

“Whether he'll get in that team, I don't know, with [Gianluigi] Donnarumma there I don't see it.

“Whether they're going to offload a goalie, I don't know.

“The only benefit with Wednesday would be if the bids are successful, they might be able to get him on a year loan.”

Pep Guardiola made the surprising decision to depart Man City at the end of the campaign, leaving after 10 years in charge.

The Catalan is set to be replaced by Enzo Maresca, but it’s likely that Donnarumma will remain first-choice goalkeeper for next season.

James Trafford was second-choice in 2025/26, although his future is up in the air and he could depart the Etihad.

This would open the door for a move for Charles to replace the former Burnley player, but it remains to be seen whether the Sheffield Wednesday star will be willing to become a secondary option.

The 20-year-old made 19 appearances in the Championship last season, and only injuries prevented him from playing on a more regular basis.

He kept two clean sheets and conceded on 37 occasions, with Sheffield Wednesday suffering relegation from to League One.

Charles is entering the final year of his contract with the Owls, although it’s been claimed that talks are ongoing over a possible extension.

Rangers and Celtic have also been linked with a possible move for the goalkeeper.

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Pierce Charles will be giving up game time moving to Man City

If Charles wants to play regularly next season, then he simply has to avoid a move to Man City during the summer.

He is still only 20, and this is a crucial stage in his development as a player, so he should be looking for as many minutes as he can get.

The opportunity to return to Man City can be tempting, especially as it could be a pathway to becoming their first-choice in the future.

However, that is far from guaranteed, particularly as Donnarumma is also only 27, so staying with Sheffield Wednesday for another campaign would be a more sensible option for his career if it came down to those two choices.