Southampton can spend Shea Charles windfall wisely with Crystal Palace transfer | OneFootball

Southampton should target Crystal Palace's David Ozoh after the sale of Shea Charles to Fulham

Southampton will be looking to bounce back after an unprecedented end to last campaign, with another push for Premier League promotion in their sights.

Southampton’s expulsion from the Championship play-offs last time around will have been a bitter pill to swallow for the South Coast outfit, who will have no choice but to go again in the second tier this season.

The additions of Lewis Dobbin and Divin Mubama will provide the Saints with two more excellent options in the final third, with each of Leo Scienza, Tom Fellows, Finn Azaz, and Cyle Larin offering stiff competition in those areas.

Larin, having enjoyed an excellent loan spell from Mallorca in the second half of last season, has signed a permanent deal at St Mary’s, whilst both Daniel Peretz and George Long have followed suit.

Having failed to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, Southampton were always going to face offers for some of their stars, as Shea Charles has completed a £30 million switch to Fulham.

He will, naturally, need to be replaced, as the Saints should eye a swoop for a Crystal Palace star who has spent the last couple of years in the Championship.

Southampton must prepare a swoop for David Ozoh after Shea Charles' Fulham switch

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Charles, 22, joined Southampton in the summer of 2023 from Manchester City, and went on to make 76 appearances for the Saints across all competitions in three years, with 31 Championship appearances last year.

The Northern Irishman would spend the 2024/25 campaign on loan with Sheffield Wednesday under Danny Rohl, becoming a fan favourite at Hillsborough, and returned to Southampton last summer to provide competition in the middle of the park for the likes of Casper Jander, Flynn Downes, and Cameron Bragg.

Now, the midfielder makes the move to West London for a healthy profit, as Southampton should target Crystal Palace’s David Ozoh as a potential replacement.

The Nigerian has spent the last couple of years on loan in the Championship with Derby County, and with his future at Selhurst Park unclear at this stage, Saints should swoop in as soon as possible.

David Ozoh has excelled in the Championship with Derby County

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Ozoh, 21, is one year younger than Charles, but like the Northern Irishman, has a couple of years of Championship experience under his belt already, courtesy of his two-year spell with Derby.

The Valencia-born midfielder came through the ranks at Palace, and has made 13 first-team appearances for the Eagles prior to his loan switches to Pride Park, where, when fit, he was one of the first names on the team sheet.

Initially brought to the club by former boss Paul Warne, Ozoh would spend just over six months under the current Milton Keynes Dons boss before John Eustace assumed control of the Rams in February 2025, and impressed the 46-year-old so much that another loan deal was sanctioned the following summer.

Eustace has a habit of re-signing players he has previously worked with, as Bobby Clark and Sammie Szmodics have already returned to Pride Park this summer, with Ozoh reportedly another player he would be interested in bringing back to the club, though Southampton should have something to say about that now.

Why David Ozoh would be an ideal replacement for Shea Charles at Southampton

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Ozoh, like Charles, operates best in a deeper midfield role, with both more than capable of playing in tight spaces, bringing that ball out of the defence before finding a teammate in a better position.

Both stand at over 6ft, and whilst their frames allow them to thrive in physical battles, their technical ability is what makes them shine.

Charles, at this stage of his career, is the more finished product, hence his £30 million switch to Fulham, whilst Ozoh has numerous areas of his game to iron out before being capable of consistently performing in the Premier League.

As a player they can develop and nurture, with a price tag of around £5 million on his head, according to Alan Nixon’s Patreon, a deal for Ozoh makes so much sense for the Saints, and whilst he isn’t quite at the same level of Charles just yet, with the right coaching, he could be very quickly, and he could potentially even exceed the Northern Irishman.

Tonda Eckert must seek further reinforcements at Southampton before the summer deadline

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Whilst deals for Larin, Peretz, and Long were completed early in the window, Dobbin and Mubama remain the only fresh faces around the club at this stage, as Eckert will surely be looking for more between now and the deadline.

The German head coach will have put his potential banning order to the back of his mind, as for now, he remains in charge of the Saints and is playing a key role in the majority of transfer business.

Manchester United youngster Godwill Kukonki has been linked with the club, whilst another option at right-back seems inevitable sooner rather than later, as more are expected through the doors at St Mary’s over the coming weeks, with Eckert surely keen on further reinforcements throughout the squad.