Southampton must sign Crystal Palace ace to replace Shea Charles | OneFootball

Southampton should consider hijacking Derby County's move for David Ozoh in the event of Shea Charles' sale

It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for Southampton supporters, who end the 2025/26 campaign as one of, if not the most emotionally conflicted clubs in the entire Championship.

When Southampton were relegated, it was announced that English-Belgian boss Will Still would guide the Saints into the second tier, having worked wonders during his time coaching in France and Belgium.

However, Still would win just four of his 16 games in charge, as then little-known German coach Tonda Eckert took the reins, initially on an interim basis, but then permanently after an excellent string of results.

Eckert would propel the Saints up the table and eventually to 4th place, defeating the likes of Fulham and Arsenal on their way to an FA Cup final, losing just one of their final 23 games in all competitions, that being to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

A 2-1 victory on aggregate over Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-final booked a place at Wembley for Southampton for the second time in a matter of weeks, or so they thought, as they would eventually be expelled from the play-offs after being found guilty of spying on opponents, including Boro, bringing their campaign to a bitter end.

Now, they must look forward to the season ahead and must prepare for the loss of some of their star assets, including Shea Charles, as Eckert should be preparing to gazump Derby County in a move for a Crystal Palace star.

Southampton should look to sign Crystal Palace’s David Ozoh

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Charles, 22, is undoubtedly one of Southampton’s star assets, with the Northern Irish midfielder attracting interest from numerous Premier League clubs over recent weeks, including Leeds United and Manchester United.

The midfielder came through the ranks at Manchester City before joining Southampton in the summer of 2023 for around £15 million. He would excel on loan with Sheffield Wednesday in the 2024/25 campaign and earned plenty of game time this year in a heavily competitive Saints midfield, including Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes.

Now, with Southampton having failed to secure promotion, Charles could be looking for an exit route, and should he indeed depart the club this summer, Eckert ought to be targeting Crystal Palace’s David Ozoh as his replacement.

Ozoh, 21, has spent the last two seasons on loan with Derby County, and his performances in the middle of the park have endeared him to the Rams faithful.

Set to head back to South London this summer, Ozoh will likely get the chance to try and impress incoming boss Pierre Sage at Selhurst Park in a bid to cement himself into the Eagles’ first-team plans, but Southampton shouldn’t give the Frenchman too much time to watch him in action.

During his two-year stay at Pride Park, the Nigerian made just 43 league appearances, with injuries severely limiting his playing time. Initially signed under former boss Paul Warne, current head coach John Eustace saw enough of Ozoh to bring him back last summer, and when fit, the midfielder was one of the first names on the team sheet under the former Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers boss.

A robust, tough-tackling, but hugely technical midfielder, Ozoh’s six-feet-two-inch frame makes him a formidable opponent in the middle of the park, capable of screening the back line and bringing the ball out of defence to great effect.

Eustace has made it no secret his intent on bringing back some of his loan stars from last season, with Ozoh almost certainly included in that, saying: "Obviously I've spoken to all the players. They love playing for Derby, they love being here.

"From that point of view, I think they'd all love to stay but everything else is out of my hands."

If there is an opportunity there for Derby to sanction the return of the Nigerian, then they will almost certainly try to take it, but Southampton ought to have different plans, especially if they lose Charles.

The Saints will have the financial advantage of parachute payments still at their disposal, and with the club likely to make some sales this summer, including Charles, they are surely in a much stronger position than Derby in that sense to bring Ozoh to the club.

Time will tell how this saga unfolds, but with Charles surely on his way out, Eckert will need a replacement, and Ozoh should be high on his list of targets.

Tonda Eckert must consider David Ozoh as a Shea Charles replacement

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With all of the 'spygate' drama quieting down over recent weeks, Eckert will be keen to put the entire ordeal behind him and focus on next season.

The German will be under intense pressure and scrutiny no matter what next season for his role in the spying allegations, and he must ensure a strong summer window provides him the best platform of success next campaign with the Saints.

With Charles at the exit door, Eckert will need to find a replacement, and could do a lot worse than Ozoh.

At just 21, the Nigerian is just one year younger than Charles and possesses huge potential, just like the Northern Irishman, and would be his ideal replacement at St Mary's.