Sheffield Wednesday: January exit looks unlikely given Danny Rohl comments | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl's comments about goalkeeper Pierce Charles suggest a January loan move is off the table.

The goalkeeper position has been the subject of increasing debate among Sheffield Wednesday supporters in recent weeks.

Wednesday had initially struggled to replace long-serving number one Keiren Westwood following his exit in the summer of 2021, with the likes of Joe Wildsmith, Cameron Dawson, Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Devis Vasquez all having spells between the sticks, but that changed after the arrival of James Beadle on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion in January.

Beadle impressed during his loan stint with then League One side Oxford United in the first half of last season, earning him a move to the Championship with the Owls, and he certainly has not looked out of place in the second tier.

After playing a crucial role in Wednesday's survival last season, Beadle returned to Hillsborough this summer on a season-long loan, and he has started all 15 league games this season for Danny Rohl's side.

However, the emergence of talented young goalkeeper Pierce Charles has led some to question Beadle's position in the team, and Rohl addressed the situation in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's home game against Cardiff City.

Sheffield Wednesday: Danny Rohl speaks out on James Beadle, Pierce Charles debate

Charles has long been viewed as a potential star of the future at Hillsborough, and his stock has risen significantly this season after some impressive displays at both club and international level.

The 19-year-old started all four of Wednesday's EFL Cup fixtures this campaign, and as well as making a number of excellent saves, he showed remarkable composure with the ball at his feet in those games, which is perhaps no surprise given that he spent time in the Manchester City academy earlier in his career.

Charles was handed a surprise opportunity to start for Northern Ireland in the October international break, and he has retained his place for their last four matches, keeping two clean sheets in the meetings with Belarus and recording another shut-out in the game against Bulgaria.

Northern Ireland earned promotion to Group B of the Nations League after a 2-2 draw with Luxembourg on Monday night, with Charles playing a key role in that success, and he earned praise from manager Michael O'Neill, who said that it was not a "difficult decision" to stick with the youngster ahead of Peacock-Farrell and Luke Southwood due to his "good distribution" and "good temperament".

With the calls for Charles to be given a chance in the Wednesday team growing louder, Rohl gave his view on the situation on Thursday, and while he confirmed that Beadle would remain his number one, he insisted that the competition between the pair was a positive thing.

"We have three goalkeepers who are improving each other every day. The group is good, you can see the challenge, over the last weeks the second competition was good for Pierce," Rohl said, quoted by the club's official X account.

"James is my number one but it is good to see Pierce attack and it shows he is further up now and he is improving. Nobody accepts second or third positions, they all push each other, challenge each other but they have a great relationship."

Charles was reportedly the subject of an enquiry from League One side Crawley Town in the summer, but as Ben Hamer was sidelined due to injury at the time, Rohl decided to keep him at Hillsborough.

It will likely be tough for Wednesday to secure a third loan deal for Beadle next summer, so many have assumed that Charles will become the club's number one when the England U21 international returns to parent club Brighton.

With that in mind, there have been suggestions that Charles could be sent out on loan in January to enable him to gain crucial senior experience ahead of him taking over from Beadle, but Rohl's comments suggest a temporary exit could be off the table.

Despite Hamer returning to fitness, Charles has continued to be named on the bench in recent weeks, and while his game time is likely to be restricted in the Championship, he looks set to receive further minutes in the FA Cup.

Rohl may believe that Charles remaining at Hillsborough and learning the way he wants him to play is the right option for the Northern Ireland international, and on the evidence of his performances for club and country this season, it does seem that he is ready for first-team action, despite his limited senior experience.

There will likely be plenty of loan interest in Charles in January, and it will be interesting to see if Rohl's stance changes should a top League One club come in for him, but at this point, he looks set to stay in South Yorkshire for the rest of the season.