Crystal Palace have entered the race for Southampton's Shea Charles as they look to bolster their midfield depth ahead of the new campaign.
Per Alex Crook, Crystal Palace have entered the race to sign Southampton’s Shea Charles. The Northern Ireland international has been the subject of intense interest from Leeds United, who have seen two bids rebuffed by Saints.
Charles had a strong campaign for Southampton last season, as the Championship side reached the FA Cup semi finals. Charles scored the winning goal in the quarter final victory over Arsenal, and has caught the eye of a number of Premier League sides, as both Fulham and Palace enter the race.
Why is Charles so in demand?
The midfielder captains Northern Ireland on the international stage, and at just 22-years-old, has developed into one of the second tier’s most exciting prospects.
Signed from Manchester City after impressing for their Under-21s, Charles is a box-to-box midfielder who not only is solid defensively, but has also become a key influence on the final third too.
He scored six times last season, registering two assists, and becoming a pivotal part of Tonda Eckert’s side which was dumped out of the play-offs due to ‘spygate’.
His overall play is extremely consistent. Charles is excellent at ticking the play over, boasting a 92% passing accuracy in his own half. He’s also excellent out of possession, making 4.5 recoveries per game and rarely dribbled past.
The demand is likely to bump Saints’ asking price up, but for around £20 million, Charles would be an astute addition to Palace’s squad. Vitaly, it would maintain continuity with the club’s transfer model, signing a young talented player who has all the attributes to break into the first team.
How would Charles fit in at Palace?
Firstly, the pressure for him to perform instantly would be relieved, with Daichi Kamada committing another year to the club. Charles could be eased in and allowed time to develop into Premier League and European football.
His workrate off the ball would suit Pierre Sage’s system, with the demand on midfielders to do a lot of running off the ball but also to help facilitate attacking moves in the final third.
This is an extremely realistic signing. Charles is gettable for a good fee, and is already good enough to contribute. He’d also be an upgrade on the current depth in midfield positions, and whilst the dream target would be someone like Mamadou Sangaré from Lens, Charles would be a really strong alternative.
Entering the race at this stage is also a good tactic from Palace. With two bids rejected already by Saints, the expected fee is going to be met soon, and Palace have joined the bidding war at the right time. The South London club can offer Charles better exposure than both Leeds and Fulham as well as providing the opportunity of European football too.
The only plausible reason to choose either Fulham or Leeds as an alternative would be the guarantee of playing time, but with a heavy fixture list again this season, Charles would certainly be involved at Palace.
Rumour rating - 7/10.
