Cheltenham Town are facing stiff competition from other EFL clubs as they monitor the contract situation of Jason Adigun, according to reports.
The 20-year-old’s current deal with Charlton Athletic expires at the end of June and whilst Nathan Jones’ side did have the option to extend the midfielder’s contract for a further season, the 20-year-old is set to depart in search of first-team minutes.
He is just one of 18 academy players to leave the club this summer with the Addicks confirming their academy retained list for this season.
All Nigeria Soccer has revealed that multiple EFL clubs are in pursuit of Adigun’s services, with recently relegated Cheltenham Town being one of them.
The Robins are losing key player Liam Sercombe this summer after the 34-year-old turned down a new deal to stay in Gloucestershire, departing alongside keeper Luke Southwood and defender Sean Long.
A former Bristol Rovers player, the veteran midfielder was Cheltenham’s top scorer last season with 11 goals and two assists in a campaign that saw Town relegated from League One.
Spending four years at Whaddon Road, Sercombe was part of the team that lifted the League Two title but has decided against attempting to repeat that feat and pursue a new opportunity elsewhere next season.
Adigun has admirers from fellow fourth-tier clubs including fellow promotion hopefuls Gillingham and Simon Weaver’s Harrogate Town. National League side Southend United are also monitoring the situation amidst their latest transfer embargo.
The Anglo-Nigerian had a fruitful spell over the second half of this season with National League South side Welling United, scoring twice and providing eight assists across 16 appearances as the Wings avoided the drop in 17th place.
He has yet to make an appearance for the senior team at The Valley but has progressed through the academy system in South London from the age of 13 to sign his first professional contract in 2022.
Writer’s View
Losing Liam Sercombe will be a hammer blow to Cheltenham Town this summer as they seek to bounce back into League One at the first time of asking next season. The midfielder scored 11 of The Robins’ 41 league goals last season, so filling the void that he will leave behind is no easy task.
Adigun is an interesting option for the future should Cheltenham pursue this deal. He was very productive at Welling but a two-league step up could be difficult to navigate straight away. Easing him into the team should be Darrell Clarke’s main aim and hopefully, the 20-year-old would start improving to make a claim for a first-team place.
1st Class Honours in Multimedia Journalism at Salford University. Writing mainly about League Two.
