Doing the numbers
Lee Bowyer talked today about a potential “big loan” signing, which sounds promising accept the Belgian football genius is in charge of proceedings.
He also talked of ongoing interest in Patrick Bauer and Josh Magennis. Remember Bowyer said he accepted that Duchatelet would sell five players in the summer, if he could bring in four. A little lopsided mathematics if you ask me. Harry Lennon and Ezri Konsa have already gone. Possibly Magennis and Bauer will follow with I suspect Igor Vetokele going out on loan again due to his high wages.
Bowyer wants a physical and commanding central midfielder. If Magennis and/or Bauer leave, then they will need replacing. We have one goalkeeper, who has had one full season of professional football two seasons ago, in the National League. We are also short at full back with Solly and Lewis Page injury prone.
With thanks to CAFC Facts and Stats Lee Bowyer currently has 19 first team players available to him as follows:
GK: Phillips
Def: Solly, Bauer, Sarr, Pearce, Page
Def/Mid: Dijksteel
Central Mid: Aribo, Forster-Caskey
Attacking Mid/Wide: Marshall, Fosu, Reeves, Clarke
Striker: Magennis, Hackett-Fairchild, Ahearne-Grant, Taylor, Ajose, Vetokele.
He does have with him in Portugal currently academy players Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Albie Morgan, George Lapslie, Taylor Maloney and Jamie Mascoll. None of those will be first team ready according to Bowyer, and I hate to say it, but we’ve kind of been here before.
Of those 19 listed above, Billy Clarke is regaining fitness and won’t be ready for the start of the new season. Igor is almost certainly a goner. Reeco Hackett-Fairchild we are led to believe remains in Ibiza with no passport and Karlan Ahearne-Grant-Grant has to regularly report to the police in the UK, and appears not to be at the training camp.
Not sure about you but four new players ain’t going to cut it..
Chicago Addick 
Same, same ole Charlton a so-called professional football club. Just about all departments and that includes media interna and external GET OUT WITH THE RAT.
Deja vu. Maybe Roland will tell Bowyer he’ll strengthen the squad in January if we are pushing for a play-off spot.
The word was that Marshall might also go, he hasn’t settled and had a poor season last year, started injured and then flitted in and out of games. Dijksteel though can cover at RB and CB, defensively we need cover at LB, plus a goalkeeper and a number 10 to feed Lyle Taylor/Ajose. I think Vetokele will go – either on-loan or be sold and if the latter cheaply, he’s almost out ob contract. I don’t have a lot of faith in Josh Magennis – either as a goalscorer or no 10, in two seasons he has put a lot of graft in but 20 goals/80 games in that time isn’t enough. I’d like to see two central midfielders arrive, one to play DM and the other attacking, we got over-run a bit in midfield at times last year but Lee B likes to play 4-4-2 so those two players and a gk plus a number 10 would be the four players I’d want (and this assumes there are no more major departures). Get the spine right and the rest will fit into place.
Agree with all of that. There was also talk of Sarr leaving.
I think we need as a minimum GK, LB (both as cover), two CM’s, CB, No. 10, Striker and Winger if Magennis and Marshall go.
And now Reeves out until September..
https://www.cafc.co.uk/news/view/5b3f3cbbc387c/injury-updates-on-billy-clarke-and-ben-reeves
We simply won’t have enough players regardless of their quality and we have injuries already to what is a paper thin squad, with more expected to leave. Congratulations to our owner in delivering the destruction of our club, my thoughts towards this clown are unsuitable to print.