Northern Ireland and Southampton midfielder Shea Charles is on the radar of West Ham United after an impressive season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. 

The Hammers could look to take advantage of Southampton’s relegation, as Graham Potter is interested in bringing their 21-year-old midfielder, Shea Charles, to East London as part of a major midfield rebuild ahead of the 25/26 Premier League season.

The Saints signed Charles two years ago from Manchester City. He captained the Citizens to a Premier League title at just 19 years of age and made his first-team debut for City in 22/23. However, like many City academy graduates, Charles was sold to Southampton for around £15m.

He won promotion with the Saints in his first season, making 16 appearances. He didn’t set the world alight, but you could say he was one of the best 12th men in the championship, an important squad player. And he would benefit from another season in the Championship, and not jump up to the Premier League.

And that he did, Charles spent the 24/25 season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, making 38 appearances, scoring 1 goal, and providing 4 assists. He won the club’s player of the year award as the Owls finished comfortably mid-table.

Charles is a proper defensive midfielder; he can pass, tackle, is decent in the air, and he can read the game excellently. He also has the ability to dictate the pace of a game and control it from deep areas. He also takes corners, so we won’t be missing out on too much from those wide areas if Ward-Prowse is dropped.

Charles’s best trait is his versatility; he can play as a number 8 and number 6 in midfield and as a central defender. This is one of the things that has brought him to Graham Potter and Kyle Macauley’s attention. Potter has spoken on his desire to make the West Ham squad smaller and younger, so signing a player who is both young and versatile makes complete sense.

Another positive about Shea Charles is the experience he’s had at such a young age, time captaining the best academy in England, two years as an important player in the Championship, and he already has 25 caps for Northern Ireland. He even captained his nation on two occasions in November 2024. These are exactly the type of characters and profile of players we should be targeting.

Shea Charles could be an excellent signing for the Hammers. It wouldn’t be the most exciting transfer of the window, but if we can get it done, it could be a very important part of the rebuild under Potter.