Championship football beckons on the south coast after Southampton endured a torrid 2022-23 Premier League campaign, but Saints have seen fit to continue a recent transfer market remit this summer after completing a deal for versatile Northern Irish midfielder Shea Charles.

The 19-year-old full international follows a recently well-trodden pathway from the Etihad to St. Mary’s, becoming the fifth City academy product to be brought into the fold at Southampton within the last two summers, with new boss Russell Martin set to welcome the second new face at the club before a vitally important 2023-24 campaign in the English second tier.

Saints have parted ways with a questionable £15m for Charles, who has just 27-minutes of senior action on his CV after making his lone appearance for Manchester City on the final day of action across the 2022-23 season.

Perhaps more frustratingly, a sell-on clause, as well as a buy-back clause for City, are included in the deal for Charles.

Capable of playing four positions while offering what will hopefully be considerable versatility for Martin once he finds his footing in new surroundings, Charles follows in the footsteps of former academy colleagues Gavin Bazunu, Roméo Lavia, Samuel Edozie, and Juan Larios.

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