Sheffield Wednesday’s Charlie Hayford is set to leave the club and join South African side Bidvest Wits according to a report from South African publication Soccer Laduma.
The 19-year-old midfielder isn’t really well-known outside of people who regularly watch Sheffield Wednesday academy matches, but was still seen as a bright prospect. He was signed from Tottenham Hotspur last season and it was hoped he would end up developing into a key player for the club, especially as he was part of the U23 team which won two trophies this season. However it appears his stay at the Owls will be a short one as he is close to completing a move to South Africa.
Hayford is currently raining with Bidvest Wits, a South African team based in Johannesburg that won the ABSA Premier League this season. South African football may not be well-known here, but they do have some familiar names in their squad with former Tottenham Hotspur man Bongani Khumalo and Portsmouth academy graduate James Keene all being part of their team. And now Hayford is currently training with them and looks set to complete a move to the other hemisphere in the next few days.
The thing that is making this move happen is the ancestry of Hayford. His father is from South Africa so while he has played professional football in England up until now, it means he can move to the country without having to obtain a VISA, meaning the transfer can go ahead without paperwork getting in the way.
