How £30m Charles became Northern Ireland's most expensive footballer

ByAndy Gray

BBC Sport NI Journalist

"Shea has been so, truthful awesome during my clip moving with him. I person ne'er seen anyone amended connected the shot than this kid."

It was successful 2021 that the Northern Ireland younker manager Gerard Lyttle said helium had ne'er seen a youngster arsenic comfy connected the shot arsenic Shea Charles.

Back then, the teen was inactive playing astatine centre-back and had yet to marque a elder quality for nine oregon country, but helium was lasting retired to his coaches.

Five years later, midfielder Charles has go the astir costly Northern Ireland subordinate successful past aft helium completed a £30m transportation from Southampton to Premier League broadside Fulham.

From coming done astatine Manchester City, to becoming 1 of Michael O'Neill's astir important players connected the planetary scene, the 22-year-old has taken the agelong mode circular to a top-flight return.

From erstwhile helium joined Manchester City's academy arsenic a seven-year-old, Charles' imaginable was wide and helium rapidly progressed done the ranks.

His breakout twelvemonth came successful the 2021-22 season, erstwhile helium helped City triumph the Premier League 2 rubric arsenic an 18-year-old playing alongside the likes of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Nico O'Reilly.

He was handed a archetypal Northern Ireland call-up for June's Nations League model successful 2022, and helium made his planetary debut arsenic a precocious substitute against Greece earlier helium had adjacent made a elder quality astatine nine level.

It was somewhat unexpected fixed his deficiency of experience, but it showcased the content that past manager Ian Baraclough showed successful Charles.

"I anticipation I tin conscionable propulsion connected from present and get much caps. It was a large feeling to marque my debut," Charles said astatine the time.

"I didn't expect to beryllium playing successful this game, but I volition instrumentality each accidental arsenic it comes."

Charles has surely done that, establishing himself arsenic a cardinal subordinate for Michael O'Neill, who returned arsenic manager aboriginal successful 2022 to regenerate Baraclough.

In fact, Charles has lone missed 3 matches since then. One was for a suspension pursuing a reddish paper against Slovenia, portion his lack with a hamstring wounded was notable successful the closing World Cup qualifiers with Slovakia and Luxembourg successful November past year.

For Lyttle, having worked with Charles astatine age-group level with Northern Ireland, determination was ne'er immoderate doubting his potential.

"Honestly, helium is truthful calm, I really haven't seen him get retired of 2nd cogwheel yet and that is nary gag - determination is adjacent much successful him," Lyttle added in his 2021 interrogation with BBC Sport.

"He plays with specified a calmness, sees a pass, breaks lines, is technically precise good, tin deed agelong and abbreviated and tin vie physically. He is conscionable a due ball-playing centre-back and a existent bully kid arsenic well.

"As helium goes up the levels helium needs to support progressing, but from what I've seen of young Shea helium decidedly has each the attributes."

It helped that Charles was learning from immoderate of the champion successful the world. At Manchester City helium had been grooming with the likes of Rodri and Fernandinho and was yet handed a Premier League accidental successful May 2023, by which signifier helium had six planetary caps nether his belt.

Pep Guardiola's broadside had already wrapped up the Premier League title, and Charles made his City debut arsenic a second-half substitute against Brentford connected the last time of the season.

"When we bid with the archetypal squad the modular is truthful precocious and we are ever learning, each day," Charles said successful 2022.

"With the likes of Rodri and Fernandinho, it is pugnacious but enjoyable."

While learning from the champion players successful the satellite was beneficial, it did not connection a earthy way of progression to the archetypal squad astatine Etihad Stadium.

So, a period aft making his City debut, Charles signed a four-year declaration with Southampton and subsequently made 32 appearances arsenic Saints won promotion backmost to the Premier League.

Instead of contributing successful his club's top-flight return, his improvement continued with a indebtedness spell astatine Sheffield Wednesday, wherever helium became a instrumentality favourite and drew links to Arsenal.

"He's a young, high-potential subordinate – the pity is that helium is not our player," said Wednesday's manager astatine the time, Danny Rohl, astir his indebtedness prima during his aboriginal days astatine Hillsborough.

Midway done his play with the Owls, Charles was handed the Northern Ireland armband by O'Neill conscionable 10 days aft his 21st birthday, the youngest subordinate to skipper the state since Terry Neill successful 1963.

"Shea has got the attributes to play astatine the highest level of the game, and the temperament to bash so, and that is what you look for arsenic a captain," O'Neill said astatine the time.

"Whether helium has the armband oregon not, helium is going to beryllium a person connected the pitch."

With Southampton backmost successful the Championship aft their relegation, Charles returned to St Mary's past season.

He contributed immoderate large moments and chipped successful with his biggest instrumentality successful beforehand of extremity with six strikes successful the campaign.

Moments specified arsenic his victor against eventual Premier League champions Arsenal successful the FA Cup quarter-finals, oregon a extremity against Liverpool astatine Anfield successful the EFL Cup, volition unrecorded agelong successful the representation connected the southbound coast.

He besides netted successful the Championship play-off semi-final triumph implicit Middlesbrough with a extremity that would person taken the Saints to Wembley, lone for the nine to beryllium denied astatine changeable astatine the apical formation aft the Spygate drama.

While Southampton missed retired connected the Premier League, O'Neill was adamant that Charles has what it takes to play successful the apical flight. It was a substance of when, not if.

"Shea tin play successful the Premier League, there's nary uncertainty astir that," said Charles' planetary brag earlier June's friendlies with Guinea and France.

It was successful the France crippled that Charles showed helium belonged among the elite players, not looking retired of spot against a broadside who went connected to beryllium World Cup semi-finalists.

It was the aforesaid against Italy successful March's World Cup play-off, wherever helium was arguably the champion subordinate connected the transportation against Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Barella contempt the 2-0 decision which ended NI's dreams of reaching the finals.

"I backmost myself against anyone," was the player's ain appraisal aft that game.

Charles was powerfully linked with a determination to Leeds United, but alternatively Fulham volition beryllium his destination arsenic helium looks to instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful his vocation nether erstwhile Real Madrid and Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa, present caput manager of the London side.

With 35 planetary caps nether his loop and a big of clutch moments to his sanction astatine the property of 22, Charles could beryllium 1 of the surprises of the play arsenic helium aims to person a breakout Premier League run astatine Craven Cottage.