Exclusive: Sheffield Wednesday sent new Pierce Charles warning - "it will be a problem" | OneFootball

Wednesday could be without their 'number one' for some time

Don Goodman believes that Sheffield Wednesday could suffer a "massive blow" as the Owls look set to be without Pierce Charles' services for an extended period of time.

The Owls' current predicament has been well-documented in pre-season and during the opening weeks of the Championship campaign due to several factors, with unrest against owner, Dejphon Chansiri, as high as it's ever been, as Henrik Pedersen continues to work with a threadbare squad under a cloud of financial uncertainty after an extremely disruptive period.

Amid those frustrations, Wednesday's start to the season on the pitch saw them put up a valiant effort to no avail against newly-relegated Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on the opening day, before being on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat to Stoke City at Hillsborough last weekend.

Charles, who was handed his senior debut just five months ago, featured in both games, but the extent of a shoulder injury which he played with against the Potters has now been revealed, leaving the Danish head coach with little option but to act in the market.

It has been reported by the Sheffield Star that the 20-year-old Northern Ireland international's injury is way more serious than first envisaged, and there is a belief that the shot-stopper could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines to aid his recovery.

This also comes at a time when clubs such as West Ham United, Rangers and RC Strasbourg have all expressed an interest in his services, with the Ligue 1 outfit seeing a bid in the region of £2m recently rejected by the South Yorkshire outfit.

Football League World exclusively revealed that Wednesday were to launch a move for Ethan Horvath of Cardiff City as a result, with the Star subsequently stating that a loan move is on the cards, with the American's registration the only facet of the deal yet to be completed.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman unsurprisingly highlighted how much of a blow the injury news was for Pedersen, but admitted it may not be as bad due to the aforementioned course of action.

"Obviously, Sheffield Wednesday are going to lose Pierce Charles (to injury. It is a massive blow given their squad problems," the Sky Sports pundit stated.

"There's only one 18-year-old academy goalkeeper available as cover (Logan Stretch), who has never made a first-team appearance for anybody, so that's a bit of a problem.

"Although, reports are that Ethan Horvath from Cardiff may be an option. If that comes off, as long as Pierce Charles' injury is fairly short-term, they will be ok," Goodman continued.

"If it's a long-term injury, it will be a problem for Sheffield Wednesday."

Ethan Horvath provides experience which Sheffield Wednesday need at present

Whilst some supporters may be unconvinced by Horvath's ability between the sticks after an underwhelming spell with Cardiff City, he was a key figure in Luton Town's promotion to the Premier League three seasons ago, which cannot be understated.

If the American is able to get back to his best, it allows Wednesday a greater chance at becoming way more defensively structured than they were against Stoke on home turf, especially with a mixture of tricky fixtures on the horizon, as well as encounters in which the Owls will be targeting maximum points from in a bid to aid their chances of survival, which many had already written off before a ball was even kicked.

The injury to Charles may also be of slight benefit to the club in the short-term too, as it may give suitors an indication to look at other targets, although losing his ability between the sticks for any longer than a handful of weeks will only add to the long list of worries in S6.