1. Shea Charles in 2024-25: Quick Overview
Shea Charles is a Northern Ireland international who is the product of Manchester City’s academy. The 21-year-old enjoyed an excellent season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday last term, gaining more valuable first-team experience.
Charles has earned 27 caps for his country after making his debut in 2022 against Greece and he made 43 Championship appearances for the Owls, scoring once.
The defender came through the ranks at the Etihad and made his senior City debut in the final game of he 2022-23 season in a 1-0 away defeat at Brentford. That would be his only outing for the first team and Charles would find himself transferring to Southampton in the summer of 2023 for an initial £10 million.
The versatile man enjoyed a decent first season at St Mary’s, turning out in 33 of the 46 Championship fixtures and making 38 appearances in all competitions as the Saints made a return to the Premier League.
Upon that return, Charles was deemed temporarily surplus to requirements. He was sent out on loan to Hillsborough and enjoyed an excellent season, performing well in the 43 Championship matches he played.
Shea Charles now heads back to Southampton looking to impress his new manager, Will Still, with the belief that he is a more than useful performer at Championship level.
- Weekly Salary: £10,000
- Annual Salary: £520,000
- Current Club: Southampton
- Contract Expiry: June 2027
- Reported Bonuses: None
2. Career Earnings to Date
| Club | Years | Estimated Salary |
| Southampton | 2023-24 | £312,000 per annum |
| Southampton | 2024-25 | £364,000 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2024-25 | £156,000 |
| Southampton | 2025-27 | £520,000 |
Shea Charles was schooled in the Manchester City academy and became a serial winner at youth level, earning titles with the Under-18s and Under-21 teams.
With the unbelievable depth of talent available at the Etihad, Charles was restricted to a solitary first-team outing before Southampton showed their confidence in the player by shelling out an initial £10 million for his services, a fee that is expected to rise to £15 million with add-ons. Charles is believed to have signed a deal with the Saints worth £6,000 per week and £312,000 a year.
At some point during his first season, he signed an improved contract that took his earnings up to £10,000 a week and £520,000 per annum. When the Saints achieved promotion, Charles was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday, with the Championship side picking up £3,000 a week of his wages as Southampton continued to pay the remaining £7,000.
He may only have been their player temporarily, but Sheffield Wednesday got maximum value from their £3,000 per week outlay as the 21-year-old was one of the club’s best and most consistent performers.
Charles now returns to his parent club looking to force his way into Will Still’s plans and remains on his £10,000 per week, £520,000 per year deal.
Charles made his international bow in 2022, while still a City player, and has gone on to earn 27 caps for Northern Ireland and has had the honour of captaining them on a number of occasions.
Shea Charles’ approximate career earnings to date are £830,000.
3. Contract Details & History
Shea Charles is in the early stages of his senior career after emerging from the youth set-up at Manchester City. While details of his contract as a young player at the Etihad are not readily available, his £10 million move to Southampton netted him £6,000 a week and £312,000 a year.
His solid start to regular senior football saw him earn an improved £10,000 a week deal at St Mary’s as he helped the side gain promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.
During his loan spell in Sheffield, he continued to earn £10,000 a week with the two clubs splitting the money. Sheffield Wednesday reportedly paid £3,000 with Southampton paying £7,000.
Charles has a contract until 2027, with the remaining two years worth £1,040,000 to the player.
4. Salary Comparison: How Shea Charles Stacks Up
Southampton’s Top Earners (2024-25):
- Aaron Ramsdale – £6,240,000
- Jan Bednarek – £3,640,000
- Joe Aribo – £3,640,000
- Adam Lallana – £2,340,000
- Jack Stephens – £2,340,000
- Yukinari Sugawara – £2,080,000
- Alex McCarthy – £2,080,000
- Cameron Archer – £2,080,000
- Kamaldeen Sulemana – £2,080,000
- Ryan Fraser – £2,080,000
Comparison To Other Defenders Under The Age Of 25 In The Championship (2025-26):
- Ryan Giles (Hull City) – £1,820,000
- Ronnie Edwards (Southampton) – £1,560,000
- Luis Binks (Coventry City) – £1,560,000
- Jacob Greaves (Ipswich Town) – £1,300,000
- Caleb Okoli (Leicester City) – £1,300,000
With Southampton paying out Premier League wages to a lot of their players, Shea Charles does not come close to the wages of players such as Aaron Ramsdale, who is easily the highest earner on Southampton’s books, earning over £2.5 million more than the next highest-paid player, Jan Bednarek.
Gavin Bazuna, who finds himself behind Ramsdale for the number one jersey, is earning around £20,000 per week, as is Ross Stewart who has had a torrid time with injury.
His £10,000 a week wages still see him earn more than the much-touted Tyler Dibling, who takes home £5,000 a week, and more than recent England international Taylor Harwood-Bellis who picks up £7,500 a week.
The Northern Irish man is also some way short of players in his position of a similar age in the division, with last season’s strugglers Hull City paying an eye-watering £1.8 milliion to left back Ryan Giles and Southampton themselves spending £30,000 a week on Ronnie Edwards who was loaned to Queens Park Rangers last term.
If Shea Charles can force his way into Still’s team and replicate the performances he produced last season at Hillsborough then Southampton have themselves a tidy Championship performer at a low cost to the club.
5. FAQs About Shea Charles’ Salary
Q: What is Shea Charles’s weekly and annual salary?
A: Shea Charles earns £10,000 a week which is £520,000 per year.
Q: When does Shea Charles’ current contract end?
- A:.Shea Charles is contracted to Southampton until 2027.
Q: Are there any bonuses or incentives in the contract?
- A: Any bonuses in his contract are unknown.
Q: Has Shea Charles’ salary changed in recent years?
- A: Since his move to Southampton, Shea Charles’s wages have increased but not dramatically. He has gone from £6,000 per week to £10,000 per week.
Q: How does Shea Charles’s salary compare to teammates or league rivals?
- A: Quite simply, it doesn’t! The Championship, and Southampton, is littered with players on big salaries and Shea Charles is not one of those. His £10,000 a week puts him at the bottom end of Southampton’s wage list.
Q: Does his salary affect club finances?
- A: Southampton reportedly spend over £900,000 a week on wages with an annual payroll of £47,900,000, meaning that Shea Charles’s £10,000 a week and £520,000 a year wages are easily managed by the club.
