Manchester City, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday - What the men who did the deals had to say
Sheffield Wednesday offered Pierce Charles a new deal, but in the end had no choice but to sell him.
The talented 20-year-old completed his switch to Manchester City on Friday, returning to the club whose academy he grew up in prior to joined the Owls. Immediately after signing he completed a loan switch to Queens Park Rangers for the season.
As previously reported by The Wednesday Word, SWFC did make attempts to try and tie the Northern Ireland international down on a new deal at Hillsborough, but when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, the decision was made to look after the ‘long-term interests’ of the club.
Speaking after the deals were finalised, three key figures from Wednesday, City and QPR have discussed the state of play surrounding the shot-stopper:
Sheffield Wednesday’s Sporting Director - Simon Wilson
“At 20, the quality and consistency of Pierce’s performances have naturally attracted interest from elite clubs throughout the last 12 months. We engaged with him to secure his long-term future but understood his desire to take this opportunity and with one year remaining on his contract, this agreement protects the long-term interests of our club.
“Although we are disappointed to lose him from our group, Pierce’s story is one that should be celebrated by all who played a part in his journey – from his acquisition to his development within our academy and first team. He is an example we hope many players can replicate in the future and we wish him well at Manchester City, who we continue to build an exceptional relationship with.”
Manchester City’s Director of Football - Hugo Viana
“Pierce is someone whose progress we have been following closely, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Manchester City.
“Pierce has already learned a lot during his time at Sheffield Wednesday but is still very young and hungry to now further progress and develop.
“He also knows the Club and is very much aligned with the values we all share.
“We are very happy to have secured Pierce’s signing and are excited to now help in his future career development.”
QPR CEO - Christian Nourry
“We are pleased to announce the arrival of Pierce today on a season-long loan.
“Pierce is a player that the club has held a long-term interest in, and we are delighted to have the player and his family’s confidence, as well as Manchester City’s, in terms of this being the best environment for him to continue to prosper, having had the pick of Championship clubs to choose from.”
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