The sought after midfielder grabbed the winner in Southampton’s shock FA Cup victory over Arsenal
Rangers are to be blown water financially in their pursuit of Southampton midfielder, Shea Charles, it’s been claimed
The 22-year old, who previously worked under Danny Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday, has been the subject of transfer interest from the Rangers boss according to the Daily Mail. As his value increases to £20m, he has now exceeded the Light Blues’ price range and is now more likely to move to Manchester United or Everton instead. Charles was signed at St Mary’s by previous Rangers boss, Russell Martin.
Southampton produced a FA Cup upset of epic proportions on Saturday night, as they defeated Premier League leaders, Arsenal 2-1 at home to secure their place at Wembley for the semi-finals. After Scotland international Ross Stewart had his opener cancelled out by Viktor Gyokeres, Charles struck in the last minute to give The Saints a famous win. Having also scored against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season, the midfielder’s knack of scoring against the big guns has led to his transfer fee only going one way.
Rangers blown out the water in Charles pursuit
Saints, who signed Charles from Manchester City for £11m, now want nearly double that for their FA Cup hero. The Northern Irishman has been identified as a potential next generation replacement of Casemiro for Manchester United, while Everton are looking for someone similar to fill the void 35-year old Idrissa Gana Gueye will leave.
Charles had the best season of his career so far during his Wednesday loan spell under Rohl, playing nearly every game of the Championship season. Due to his Hillsborough exploits, he was nominated for the second tier’s player of the season that year, but lost out to Sheffield United midfielder, Gustavo Hamer.
Rangers transfer target sinks Gunners
After the game, substitute Charles said: “I got told to come on and try and get hold of the game, try and keep the ball a bit. We did OK, but to score was just special. I thought just try and place it in the corner. It’s really special. These fans deserve this and you heard how loud they were tonight.”
Former Rangers midfielder and current Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta was complimentary of the victors. He added: “They are a good side on a really good run, and you have to congratulate them. You have to adapt to the wind, to the injuries, to whatever. You want to be in every competition and win; you have to adapt to any context.
“You have to adapt to difficult situations and disappointing situations. Now we have to show what we are made of. That team had moments in the game that they should have capitalised on, and we should be at Wembley. We haven’t done it, so that’s our responsibility.”
Continue Reading