Charlton Athletic head coach Michael Appleton has offered some insight into the potential risks of signing free agents outside of the transfer window in his pre-match press conference.
The Addicks find themselves in 11th place in the League One table, five points off the promotion places but have picked up just two victories across their last five fixtures in England’s third tier.
However, Appleton’s side have a great chance to to gain some footing in the race for the top six as Charlton face relegation battlers Carlisle United and Cheltenham Town over the next week.
The club has a strong core group of players, including star striker Alfie May who is currently the top goalscorer in League One. Nevertheless, with the January window fast approaching, the ex-Lincoln City gaffer will be hoping to strengthen his squad.
When asked in his pre-match presser about the possibility of acquiring free agents outside of the transfer market, Appleton admitted he would “never say never” but gave a rather pessimistic answer [quotes via Football League World]:
“The big issue I’ve got right now at this time of the year with free agents is game time and being fit,”
“Taking free agents now is a bit of a risk because they haven’t played for so long. They might’ve played in one or two behind-closed-doors games but having the confidence to bring them into the group – and up to speed straight away – would be a little bit of a concern.
“It’s one of those that I never say never, but it’s not something we’d probably look to do now. It might be something we look to do after the January window is shut – players who have been at a club and playing reasonably regularly up to January.
“You have got to be careful. You tend to take players – I’ve done it in the past – thinking you are going to get the player that they were or potentially were the previous season.
“They come in, get injured and then you are back to square one.”
Writer’s View
There is a lot of truth to what Appleton is saying. Most free agents will not have played in months and won’t be match-fit at all, which increases the likelihood of injuries.
That being said, not all free agents will get injured and there are quite a few available that could offer a helping hand to Charlton Athletic’s squad, including the likes of Matt Macey, Connor Wickham and Ronan Curtis.
