Sheffield Wednesday: Shea Charles delivers claim after Sheffield United January interest | OneFootball

Shea Charles has stated there was "no chance" of him joining Sheffield United.

Sheffield Wednesday loanee Shea Charles has had his say on what has been a chaotic January transfer window for the young midfielder.

Charles initially joined Wednesday on a season-long loan deal back in August, but after a string of strong performances for Danny Röhl’s side, parent club Southampton opted to exercise their option to recall their youngster on January 15th.

News of Charles’ recall was delivered by Wednesday’s controversial chairman and owner Dejphon Chansiri, who told supporters of Southampton’s decision at a particularly spiky fans’ forum earlier this month.

After being recalled by the Saints, Charles was briefly linked with another loan switch to Sheffield, only this time with United, which prompted more unrest from the Wednesday faithful.

Now though, a fresh loan agreement has been struck for the 21-year-old which will ensure he remains at Hillsborough until the end of the season.

Shea Charles reveals there was “no chance” he would have joined Sheffield United

Unsurprisingly, news of the Blades' interest in Charles didn’t go down well at all with Wednesday’s fans, who once again pointed the finger at Chansiri after that eyebrow-raising fans’ forum.

United boss Chris Wilder recently suggested that his side’s interest in Charles was genuine, telling The Star that it “was not a wind-up, even though people think it might have been.”

News of the Northern Ireland international’s return to Hillsborough is a huge boost for Röhl’s side, who needed a strong January transfer to strengthen their squad for a potential play-off push.

Charles has now delivered a welcome update to Wednesday fans, telling The Star that there was “no chance” he would have made the switch to United.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Luton this weekend, Charles said: “It’s been a little bit chaotic.

“Obviously, the deadline for my recall was the 15th and I got recalled on the 15th. It was very last minute and I didn’t really know what I was doing for that seven-day period. I was so relieved and happy it got sorted.

“I came here for a season-long loan, that was the plan, and I didn’t really want to cut it short because it’s a great group of lads and a good coaching staff and everyone around the club is really pushing for something.

“I like to think I had a good influence on things because I was quite firm on staying here, my agent knew that and Southampton knew that.

“It’s a weird one, any interest is good interest, but I always focused on staying here.

“I’m excited to finish the season here.”

Charles’ return has been a big boost to Wednesday’s promising season

Charles has instantly become an integral part of Röhl’s plans at Wednesday this season.

The midfielder has started 26 of Wednesday’s 29 league games so far and has delivered several eye-catching displays in the middle of the park.

He has added a youthful energy to Wednesday’s midfield, which has complemented the experience and quality of Barry Bannan extremely well.

Currently sat 10th in the Championship table, Röhl’s men have a genuine chance to achieve something this season. They are just three points behind Middlesbrough in the final play-off spot with 17 games left to play.

The Owls still have some favourable fixtures to come, with strugglers Luton, Hull, Oxford and Portsmouth all yet to visit Hillsborough this term.

Röhl has done a remarkable job to turn this team into play-off contenders, having stayed up by the skin of their teeth last season. The work the German has done is made all the more impressive when you consider the fact that he has to fight a near constant battle with Chansiri for any sort of investment.

The return of Charles is another huge moment in the Owls’ season and if they can continue their impressive campaign, they could find themselves in the second tier play-offs for the first time since 2016/17 come May.