Man City readying Sheffield Wednesday move amid James Trafford twist | OneFootball

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Pierce Charles

Sheffield Wednesday marked the beginning of a new era in May when David Storch completed his takeover of the club.

The Owls went into administration last October, and Storch’s group, Arise Capital, have now taken the reins of the Yorkshire outfit.

Henrik Pedersen will be hoping to rebuild his first team squad this summer after a disastrous campaign in the Championship.

Sheffield Wednesday finished the season with a total of zero points due to the 18 they were docked by the EFL.

This summer represents a fresh start at Hillsborough, with the club looking to get back to a competitive level under new owners.

However, it won’t be plain sailing either, and it will still prove a challenge to keep players and attract top talent after their relegation to League One.

Man City ready Pierce Charles pursuit

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It has been reported by Teamtalk that Manchester City are ready to step up their pursuit of Pierce Charles.

The Premier League side are keen to sign the goalkeeper as a replacement for James Trafford, who is being linked with a move away from the Etihad.

The 20-year-old came through the academy system of the Manchester outfit before moving to Hillsborough in 2021.

While he has been with the Owls since the age of 16, he also counts as a homegrown player for Man City, making him a valuable asset to have in the squad.

The top flight club see Charles as a deputy to Gianluigi Donnarumma and will not be looking to loan him back out, if he completes the switch this summer.

The shot-stopper has just one year remaining on his current contract, although it has been reported that Sheffield Wednesday have opened talks on a new deal.

Charles featured 19 times in the Championship this season, keeping two clean sheets and conceding 37 times.

It’s believed that Man City are hoping Charles will be able to learn from Donnarumma and potentially become their first-choice option in the future.

However, he would be guaranteed regular game time if he opted to instead stay in Pedersen’s side for next season.

Other clubs such as Rangers and Celtic have also been linked with the goalkeeper, with speculation surrounding his future in recent months.

But it remains to be seen what the next step will be in his career, with the transfer window officially opening on Monday.

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Pierce Charles should be prioritising game time

The opportunity to join Man City can be tempting in many ways because it’s a route to a Premier League side, and one with the ambition to win major honours at that.

However, Charles will be a secondary choice at the Etihad and he is at a stage in his career where playing regularly is key to improving and developing.

And he won’t get that when Donnarumma is the undisputed number one, so it would be quite a risk to take on his career to move there now.

If he either stays at Sheffield Wednesday, or moves somewhere that can give him regular minutes, then there’s every chance he could still become Man City’s first-choice in the years to come.