Sheffield Wednesday can land double Cardiff City blow with Pierce Charles | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday should look to strike a transfer deal with Manchester City involving Pierce Charles that would frustrate Cardiff City.

A new era is underway at Sheffield Wednesday after David Storch completed his takeover of the club.

Wednesday were relegated from the Championship this season after a nightmare campaign that saw them win just two games, while they spent over six months in administration following former owner Dejphon Chansiri's exit in October.

After a turbulent period, there was finally some good news for the long-suffering Owls fanbase earlier this month when Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium finalised their takeover, and that was swiftly followed by the announcement that the club would not be hit with a 15-point deduction in League One next season.

In a further boost, Wednesday will also not be subject to a £7,000 weekly wage cap or a £7 million seasonal spend limit, but new CEO David Bruce has revealed that the club will still face restrictions on their ability to operate in the transfer market for at least the next year.

After dropping back into the third tier, the Owls may also have to contend with the departures of some of their key players this summer, and goalkeeper Pierce Charles looks among the most likely to leave.

Sheffield Wednesday should strike Manchester City transfer deal involving Pierce Charles

It was a frustrating season for Charles, with injuries limiting him to just 21 appearances forWednesday in all competitions, but despite representing the Championship's basement side, he still caught the eye when fit. Charles has not only established himself at club level over the past year, but he has also cemented his place as Northern Ireland's number one on the international stage, starting for his country in their 2-0 defeat to Italy in the World Cup play-offs in March. The 20-year-old has been the subject of plenty of speculation in previous transfer windows, and it appears that will be no different this summer, with talkSPORT reporting this week that Manchester City are keen to bring him back to the Etihad Stadium after he spent time in the club's academy. Of course, the Owls would be reluctant to lose Charles, but it could be tough for them to deny him a move if the Premier League giants were to make a formal bid, and rather than resisting City's advances, they should propose a more creative solution. City have produced no shortage of talented goalkeepers in recent times, and Oliver Whatmuff is the latest highly-rated shot stopper to emerge, with the 18-year-old starring during his loan spell with Rochdale in the National League this season. Whatmuff kept 18 clean sheets in 40 appearances for the Dale, a total that was only bettered by York City's Harrison Male, and while that was not enough to earn Jimmy McNulty's men the title, he was the hero in the play-off final against Boreham Wood, saving two penalties in the shoot-out to help his side to promotion. With Rochdale now back in the EFL, they may be optimistic that they can secure a fresh loan deal for Whatmuff, but it seems likely that his next move will be higher up the football pyramid, and Wednesday should look to sign the England Under-19 international on a temporary basis while allowing Charles to go in the opposite direction.

Sheffield Wednesday, Manchester City agreement would be bad news for Cardiff City

A swap deal involving Charles and Whatmuff could certainly be beneficial for Wednesday, but one club that would be furious to see that agreement come to fruition is Cardiff City. The Bluebirds are preparing for life back in the Championship after winning automatic promotion from League One this season, and as FLW exclusively revealed last month, the Welsh outfit are one of the clubs keeping tabs on Charles, along with fellow second tier side Queens Park Rangers. Charles is not the only goalkeeper on Cardiff's radar, with journalist Alan Nixon claiming in March that they were leading the race to sign Whatmuff on loan from Manchester City this summer, with head coach Brian Barry-Murphy's previous spell as an academy coach at the Etihad Stadium giving them an advantage. However, if Wednesday were to strike a deal with City that includes both Charles and Whatmuff, the Bluebirds could lose out on both of their top goalkeeper targets, which would no doubt be a significant blow ahead of their return to the second tier. Cardiff completed the permanent signing of Nathan Trott from Danish side Copenhagen earlier this month after an impressive loan spell during their title-winning campaign, but Barry-Murphy is clearly keen to strengthen further between the sticks, with Charles and Whatmuff both in his sights. Should Charles depart, Wednesday could turn back to QPR's Murphy Cooper, who made eight appearances during a loan spell at Hillsborough in the second half of the season, and his previous League One experience with Barnsley would make him an attractive option. However, the Owls are expected to pursue some ambitious targets this summer under new ownership, and Whatmuff would certainly be a more exciting addition, so they should use City's interest in Charles to their advantage and seal a deal for him.