After a bitterly disappointing season, which saw the club have three seperate permanent managers, Charlton Athletic fans will be hoping for vast improvements ahead of the new term.
At one point under former manager Michael Appleton the club were at serious risk of falling into the relegation scrap but had a rather large change in fortunes towards the end of the season which coincided with the appointment of Nathan Jones.
The Addicks would end up finishing in 16th, nine points clear of the relegation places, but with just one loss in their final 15 games, there is plenty of hope going forward albeit they did draw ten of their final 15.
Nonetheless, under Jones there were improvements and the London-based outfit will at the very least be targeting a play-off berth next term. Fortunately for them, they do have statistically the best striker in the league within their ranks, that being Alfie May who notched 23 goals on his way to winning the League One Golden Boot. Building a team around the striker going forward will be vital to potential success and recruitment will be a hot topic this summer.
Jones has wanted to get the ball rolling rather early on, which comes as no real surprise given that Charlton have known that they’ll be playing in the third tier next term for some time. They may well be able adding someone to their ranks soon, with the South London Press reporting that the club are looking to reach an agreement with Dunfermline defender Josh Edwards.
The 23-year-old was everpresent in Dunfermline’s defence this season, starting every single Scottish Championship game. Rather versatile, Edwards has been deployed both as a left-back as well as further up the left-hand side this season which has seen him produce a very solid 11 goal contributions. A move to the League One side would be a step-up but given his age, the defender will be expected to progress.
He may not be the only one coming through the doors at The Valley in the coming days, with the same publication also stating that the club are in negotiations with Luton Town’s Luke Berry.
The midfielder would appear 17 times in the top flight for the Hatters, two of those being starts but he is set to be released this summer. It is expected that there will be competition for his signature but the Addicks are one of the interested clubs currently.
Writer’s View
It’s highly unlikely that Charlton will have as bad of a season as this one next year and there’s hope in the fanbase after a rather positive finish to the term. However, it looks to be a very strong League One renewal and therefore vast improvements are needed if they want to finish in the top six.
This summer window will be Jones’ first with the club and therefore rather than inheriting signings, he can make the decisions himself. Both Edwards and Berry would have a space in the squad and could both play significant roles if they were to sign.
They will no doubt have other clubs interested in them but the attractiveness of Jones as a manager as well as the club being rather ambitious may be enough to lure them in.
