Charlton Athletic Set To Sign Championship Defender

Charlton Athletic are expected to sign defender Macaulay Gillesphey from Championship side Plymouth Argyle, as reported by journalist Darren Witcoop on Twitter (X).

Gillesphey has been with the Pilgrims since the summer of 2021 and was a key part of the defence which would help Plymouth to the 2022/23 League One title.

However the step-up to the Championship hasn’t gone Gillesphey’s way and he has seemingly become a forgotten player for Argyle, making just three starts and a further one appearance off of the bench so far this season.

That’s not to say Gillesphey isn’t Championship standard as that isn’t totally the case, but he was never really in former manager Steven Schumacher’s plans once they achieved promotion last season.

As a result, the defender looks readied for a move in January, with a whole host of League One clubs supposedly interested in gaining his services.

It is believed that Charlton Athletic are set to sign the defender, who would most likely go straight into the starting line-up for Michael Appleton’s men.

There have been some problems for Charlton defensively this season, with the Addicks letting in 34 goals in their opening 24 League One matches this season. Improvements are needed massively, most notably in defence, with Appleton’s men winless in their last six matches.

Due to the poor run of form, they now sit 14th in the table, a whole 14 points off of the play-off positions. Appleton may now be under some pressure, though could be given time in January to bring in players that he wants at the club.

Signing Gillesphey would be a huge boost to their defence and he brings plenty of EFL experience with him having turned out for both Plymouth and Carlisle United during his professional career.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise if quite a few new names came through the doors at the Valley this January, with change needed in order to spark a revival in their season. Although dreams of the play-offs may be slowly slipping away, Appleton will no doubt want to protect his reputation in the second half of the season before building into next season.

It is unknown what sort of fee Plymouth will want for the defender, however Transfermarkt have him valued at roughly €400,000 which would be a good deal of business for the Championship side given he is out of favour.

Writer’s View

Signing Gillesphey would certainly help Charlton’s defence however he alone cannot solve the current problems at the club. Despite having League One’s top goalscorer in the form of Alfie May, the Addicks have underperformed massively this season.

With no wins in December, it is unknown just how safe Appleton’s job is and that could play a part in the signing of Gillesphey. Nonetheless it’ll give Charlton fans something to be excited about, as they’ve had very little to shout about recently.

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