Shea Charles will be aiming to replicate this EFL superstar after leaving Southampton

Shea Charles looks set to join Fulham for a bumper £30m.

Southampton supporters will be sad to see the back of their Manchester-born machine, but £30m is money that can't be refused, considering the Saints purchased the Northern Irishman for £15m, in the summer of 2023.

He will be looking to follow in the footsteps of many EFL stars who have then gone on to make a name for themselves in the bright lights of the Premier League, with Alex Scott - who used to play for Bristol City - just one example he should keenly follow, as he is now a top-flight regular at Southampton's South Coast neighbours AFC Bournemouth.

Scott cost the Cherries around the £25m mark, and he's proven himself to be worth every penny, so much so that Chelsea have come knocking in recent months with a crazy £64m bid for his services.

In terms of similarities in game, however, Charles will want to replicate Adam Wharton's sharp rise in the Premier League, as the Blackburn-born battler was once an EFL superstar with his hometown club.

Now, rather remarkably, he's an £86m target for one of the biggest clubs in the world in Manchester United.

Wharton's humble beginnings at Blackburn

Much like Charles, who had to go out to Southampton to cut his teeth in the senior game, Wharton's earliest footballing education, in the men's game, came in the EFL with Blackburn.

He would tally up just 51 senior games for the Riversiders, across two Championship seasons, before Crystal Palace pounced.

Charles has 76 outings in the Saints first team next to his name, on the other hand, with the 22-year-old hoping that he can rise to the challenge of the Premier League, after excelling in the demanding second tier.

Wharton would become well-known at Ewood Park for being aggressive when launching into tackles and duels, with a tenacious 4.7 duels won on average during his final Championship season in Lancashire.

To add context, Charles bowed out from St. Mary's last season with, eerily, the exact same duels won average.

But, much like the £30m-rated ace, Wharton also showed off a willingness to join in with attacks and pick out teammates with incisive passing during the fledgling stages of his career, with ex-Blackburn striker Chris Sutton noting that the homegrown talent is a "classy" individual who goes about his business "effortlessly" in 2024.

Picking up five goal contributions in the Championship during his last season with the club proved to be just the start for Wharton, so Charles will be looking to immediately impress in London, as well, with six goals put away confidently for the Saints in total, hopefully, only the first steps of his own journey to the very top.

The sharp rise Charles will be aiming to replicate

Palace fans would have been intrigued by the Wharton deal when it first came to light in early 2024, with £22m forked out on the extremely promising midfielder.

He took to the Premier League like a duck to water to justify his hefty price tag, with a standout three assists collected from just 16 outings during the 2023/24 season.

4.9 duels were also won on average, with Wharton not leaving his combatant style in the Championship, despite the intimidating new environment in front of him.

Rather, he has gone on to hit heights those at Blackburn might not have even anticipated, with eight goal contributions last season for the Eagles even helping Oliver Glasner and Co. to a sensational Europa Conference League triumph.

He, further, has four England men's caps under his belt.

Charles will be wanting to add to his own personal trophy haul at Craven Cottage, with the energetic Northern Irishman hungry to take that next step, having been discarded by Manchester City at an early age.

In time, he could be viewed in the same glowing light as Wharton, who is being eyed up by the Red Devils this summer, with very few faults in his well-rounded arsenal.

Charles will just be aiming to impress at Fulham for the time being, but do not be surprised if he's also eyed up by a big dog in the future and seen as a Premier League staple.

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