Charlton Athletic are one of two League One clubs eyeing a move for former Ipswich winger Gwion Edwards, according to journalist Darren Witcoop.
The Addicks finished tenth in League One last season and enjoyed an upturn in fortunes after the arrival of Dean Holden. He pulled them away from the relegation battle, and he now sees Edwards as a potential part of a top-six assault next season. He had targeted the Lampeter-born attacker in January, without success.
The 30-year-old Welsh winger made his name with Crawley Town, earning a move to Peterborough United in 2016. After a couple of seasons there, he went to Ipswich but suffered relegation out of the Championship. He then moved to Wigan, where he enjoyed promotion back into the second tier.
He’s struggled for chances this season, and despite Wigan’s relegation, he has been released. That’s alerted Holden, but also Joey Barton at Bristol Rovers. They, too, were midtable in League One, and see Edwards’ talents as desirable for their upcoming second season in the third tier.
Edwards, who spent a short period on loan in Scotland with Ross County this season, has scored 40 career goals in 294 league appearances, and was capped six times by Wales at Under 21 level, but was never able to make the step up to full international.
Writer’s View
Gwion Edwards is an experienced League One player, but his last season hasn’t been a big success. He’s performed at this level admirably with Posh and Wigan, but this is likely to be his last big move.
That surely puts Charlton ahead of Bristol Rovers in terms of attractiveness. Dean Holden will want them to be challenging for the top six next season, whilst Joey Barton’s Gasheads are not expected to be seriously troubling the top ten. A two-year deal, and a bit of luck at The Valley, could see Edwards have one final crack at the level that he has not yet cracked – the Championship.
Also, if it comes down to simple economics, then Charlton are likely to be able to match anything The Gas can offer, with the added bonus of being a bigger club and better gates. It’s the definition of a ‘no-brainer’.
