Fulham have signed midfielder, Shea Charles from Southampton in a £30m transfer deal.
Charles’ move to Craven Cottage came after Fulham beat Leeds to the 22-year-old’s signature with a bid which met Southampton’s £30m value, which consisted of a £26m fixed fee plus a further £4m in add-ons and a 20% sell-on clause, which makes him the most expensive Northern Ireland player.
Manchester City meanwhile will receive a share of the fee due to their previous sell-on clause inserted into Charles’ transfer to Southampton in July 2023.
Charles has signed a five-year contract at Fulham until June 2031 with option for a further year and is chuffed to make the move to West London.
“I’m buzzing to finally get it over the line. The Club has got a really good foundation, from the bottom to the top really.
“It’s a great club, with a really good vision – the Manager explained that to me. To be here is a massive privilege.
“I hope to really kickstart my Premier League career. At such a good club as well, it’s perfect for me, and hopefully perfect for the fans as well.”
Vice-Chairman and Director of Football Operations, Tony Khan added: “I’m thrilled to welcome Shea Charles to Fulham! Shea is an exciting young player, and he’s quickly gained important experience both in domestic competitions and at international level as the youngest ever captain of the Northern Ireland team.
“This is an excellent opportunity for Shea to join Fulham and to continue his development under Álvaro’s leadership!”
Charles began his career at City and graduated through their academy into the first-team squad, which ultimately saw him make his debut as a substitute in a 1-0 loss at Brentford on the final day of the 2022-23 Premier League season.
He subsequently joined Southampton that summer and failed to score in 38 appearances as the Saints instantly regained promotion back to the top flight via the 2024 Championship Play-Offs, which saw the club loan him to Sheffield Wednesday for the 2024-25 season.
His loan move however saw him register just one goal in 44 appearances for the Owls but he returned to Southampton last season and registered six goals and two assists in 38 appearances in a breakthrough season.
His biggest highlight of last season came on Easter Saturday when he netted the Saints’ winner in a 2-1 FA Cup Quarter-Final victory over eventual Premier League champions – Arsenal.
The 22-year-old also scored the winning goal in Southampton’s 2-1 comeback Championship Play-Off semi-final second-leg victory over Middlesbrough, but the Saints were subsequently expelled from the final after a spying incident prior to the first leg of that semi-final tie.
Charles represents Northern Ireland at international level and has scored one goal in 35 caps since his debut in June 2022 as a substitute in a 1-0 home loss to Greece in the UEFA Nations League.
Leave a Reply