"Absolute nightmare" - Sheffield Wednesday fan claim made amid Sheffield United, Shea Charles news | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his reaction to reports linking midfielder Shea Charles with a move to Sheffield United.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield Wednesday have not given up hope of bringing Southampton midfielder Shea Charles back to the club, but they face competition for his signature from Steel City rivals Sheffield United.

After making a loan move to Hillsborough in the summer, Charles has been one of Wednesday's star performers this season, but during an explosive fan forum last week, owner Dejphon Chansiri announced that he had been recalled by parent club Southampton.

The 21-year-old made what could be his final appearance for the Owls in their 2-2 draw with Bristol City on Wednesday night, and after the game, manager Danny Rohl said there was a "50/50" chance that he will return to the club before the end of the transfer window.

Charles is reportedly keen to stay at Hillsborough, but with Southampton believed to be demanding an increased loan fee and wage contribution, it remains to be seen whether the two clubs will be able to come to an agreement, and Wednesday have been given a deadline of Thursday evening to strike a deal.

The Owls are said to have offered an improved financial package as they look to keep hold of Charles, but Sheffield United are also eyeing a move for the Northern Ireland international, and manager Chris Wilder confirmed this week that reports of the Blades' interest are "not a wind-up".

Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit reveals Shea Charles, Sheffield United fears

When asked for his thoughts on Charles' future, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna said that he has serious doubts over whether the Owls will be able to bring him back to the club, and he admitted he is concerned about the prospect of the midfielder joining Sheffield United.

"Danny Rohl is saying it's 50/50 on whether Shea Charles will be coming back, but my gut feeling is that the odds are probably a bit worse than that," Patrick said.

"There's certainly no doubt that Shea Charles has enjoyed his time here and would want to stay, especially given the fact that his brother Pierce is here, being able to be at the same club is brother is something that he greatly enjoys as they are very close.

"If it's stated that we have offered a financial package, I don't know if that will be good enough if it's a bidding war with other Championship clubs.

"Of course, it does seem that our chairman and Southampton's chairman don't have the greatest relationship, and that cannot be conducive to us winning some sort of bidding war, so that could greatly go against us.

"Chansiri has talked about how he can damage Southampton, so why would we be their first choice to loan Charles back to us?

"We could be gazumped by another club in this bidding war, and I almost don't want to say who this club is because there is a good chance that he could go to this club.

"All I can really say on it is that it would be the last club I would want to see him go to, and it would be an absolute nightmare if he went there for many reasons, not just because he would greatly improve their midfield.

"I do have a real fear that he could end up playing for them in the second half of the season."

Shea Charles situation could define Sheffield Wednesday season

Charles was substituted at half time in Wednesday's draw against Bristol City, and the Owls lost complete control of the game in the second half, offering a bleak glimpse into what the future could look like without the Southampton loanee.

With the Owls sitting 11th in the table, four points from the play-off places, the importance of securing Charles' return cannot be underestimated, and failure to bring him back to the club would be a huge blow to their promotion hopes.

It seems that Charles' next destination will be decided by which club offers the biggest financial package, and given the spending power of Sheffield United under their new ownership, it may be difficult for Wednesday to compete with their bitter local rivals.