City closing in on Sheffield Wednesday keeper
Manchester City are on the verge of bringing Pierce Charles back to the club from Sheffield Wednesday, with multiple reports suggesting a deal is close to completion.
Fabrizio Romano has indicated that Charles has agreed to return to City, where he briefly spent time in the youth system before moving to Sheffield Wednesday. Romano reports that a deal has been agreed between the two clubs, with only formalities left to be finalised. City have yet to decide whether Charles will stay with the first team next season or head out on loan.
TalkSport have also reported that City are close to securing Charles’s return, though they suggest it is unlikely the 20-year-old will feature in a first-team role. Instead, a loan move is expected to allow him to continue his development.
Charles ticks the boxes for a young City goalkeeper. He is good with his feet — a prerequisite for any keeper in Enzo Maresca’s system — a very good shot stopper, and he showed at Sheffield Wednesday that he can command his penalty area well. At 20, there is plenty of room for improvement.
The immediate assumption when City were first linked with Charles was that he would step in as understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma. That may not be the case.
If Charles goes out on loan and James Trafford departs as expected, City will need a backup goalkeeper. How Maresca views the situation remains to be seen. He could see Trafford as the ideal fit for his system, given Trafford’s ability in build-up play from the back — an area where he outperforms Donnarumma. But it is hard to imagine Donnarumma being relegated to a backup role, given his shot-stopping, presence and leadership.
For now, City are edging closer to bringing Charles back. What happens next is less clear.