Charlton Athletic have confirmed the capture of prolific Cheltenham Town striker Alfie May for an undisclosed fee.
The Addicks’ have beaten a host of clubs to secure the signing of May, who has penned a two-year contract at The Valley with an option of a third year, and becomes Charlton’s third summer acquisition following the arrivals of goalkeeper Harry Isted and centre-back Lloyd Jones.
He has spent the past three years at Cheltenham, scoring 67 goals in 165 appearances for the Robins, with 43 of those remarkably coming in two standout League One campaigns for the Gloucestershire side, which saw him become the club’s leading EFL goalscorer.
He also scooped Cheltenham’s Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, Supporters’ Player of the Year and Norwegian Robins Player of the Year two seasons in a row, and adds a new dimension to Dean Holden’s side ahead of the upcoming campaign.
A Local Lad Returns Home
After confirming the move, May said: “I’m delighted to be here. I’m a local lad, so to come back home with my family means a lot.
“You see the support that Charlton have at The Valley and what it brings as a stadium when the fans get going and you want to be a part of that as a player. I can’t wait to get started.”
Being born in Gravesend, and with his parents living only a few miles away from The Valley itself, the move to Charlton feels like a no-brainer for one of the divisions best goalscorers.
Big Ambition From The Addicks
Charlton boss Dean Holden was delighted to have secured the signature of May, commenting: “I’m absolutely delighted that Alfie has chosen to sign for Charlton Athletic. He’s a player I’ve been keen to recruit since the very end of last season and he showed a great deal of desire and hunger to join us over other clubs.
“As well as being a proven goalscorer, his work rate for the team is exceptional and from the first conversation we had I was really impressed with not only his ambition but also his humility. I can’t wait to start working with him.”
All three signings that have been made by Charlton so far are statements of intent, showing that the Addicks want to improve on their 10th placed finish in League One last season.
What Can Charlton Fans Expect From Alfie May?
As a Cheltenham fan myself, I have had the absolute pleasure of being able to watch Alfie May play for the last three years. He is one of those footballers that any fan would love to have in their team, not just because of his technical ability, but through the way he connects with the fanbase and through his non-stop work rate. He has easily been the best Cheltenham player that I have seen in my lifetime, and is always able to produce moments of magic and is able to pull off moments of brilliance too – his goals against Peterborough last season are just a small portion of what May can do – he is devastating when on top form.
The only thing that I would say is for him to continue to play at the peak of his powers and for him to grow at Charlton would be that he needs the service from the midfield to play to his strengths and he also needs to have a good relationship with his strike partner (which I imagine will be Miles Leaburn). If Dean Holden can make those things click, then Charlton cannot be ruled out of the promotion race in my honest opinion.
Writer’s View
Eventually us Cheltenham fans knew that Alfie May would inevitably leave the club and he leaves with our best wishes. From stunning goals and moments of magic to becoming our record EFL goalscorer and being part of a historic team that recorded our highest and 2nd highest ever EFL finishes in the club’s history, he will go down as one of the all-time Cheltenham Town greats – some may say even the best Cheltenham Town player ever. Charlton Athletic will be a more dangerous side next season with Alfie in it, and with the signings that they have already made so far – it’s a statement of intent.
