Thomas Kaminski
I reckon we may see a little bit of movement this week on the transfer incomings front.
There’s a little pre-season activity in some places and player’s contracts do expire on Monday.
Today there was a goalkeeping rumour to conjure with. Belgian Thomas Kaminski has played all but one of every league game for Luton Town in the past two seasons after signing from Blackburn Rovers after the Hatters won promotion to the Premier League in the summer of 2023.
Prior to that he spent three seasons with Rovers, who signed him from Gent. He played 118 games for Blackburn. Unlike a lot of goalkeepers on the market Kaminski is not a back-up ‘keeper.
The 32-year old has been a regular starter for well over a decade and has played in Cyprus, Denmark and spent five seasons as a first choice in the Belgian Pro League.
He made his league debut at 17 in Belgium for Antwerp side Beerschot.
Plenty of experience, Kaminski will know Phil Chapple well and is almost certain to leave Kenilworth Road this summer. The Belgian will command a fee.
“Welcome to Charlton Thomas….just sign on the dotted line when your ready…..thank you!”
CA Not so keen on signing Kaminiski, yet another player from NJ’s favourite old club Luton, with the only signing last season who really performed was Godden!
First Kaminiski is currently on an annual salary of Euros 1,508,000 which equates at current rate of 0.86 around £1.3 million a year, which is £25,000 a week! This would be far above anyone else is currently earning at Charlton and would almost certainly be the highest paid player for this season even if he agreed to reduce it a bit, as Luton are trying to offload him of their wage bill now they have dropped a division! Plus suspect he would also want a minimum of two probably three year contract.
Secondly, as has been documented, most of the Luton players well underperformed last season and were looking to be in the top six not get relegated. So I had a quick view of Kaminiski’s stats for his last years performance and they weren’t that great! Accordingly he only had 4 really good ratings with 4 really poor ratings with the rest just average, which with his large salary, doesn’t seem exactly a good choice for Charlton’s No1 goalie, who could well underperform again and Charlton would be sadled with a very large salary. As Charlton already paid out our largest transfer for sometime last year, for one complete flop Ahadme, who is on a long contract and will be lucky to get him off the books, so sincerely hope, we don’t go down the same route again.
As many others and the pundits have implied, a quality striker is the main priority who can score in this league, besides an attacking midfilder. So whilst Charlton appear to be on the verge of signing the Stockport Striker for around £1.5 million, will he be able to hit the target for at least the minimum double figures this season in the Championship, when he got 20 goals in division Two but when promoted, it dropped to only 10 in league One last season! I really hope so, as apart from Godden, will injury prone Leaburn or Kanu be able to step up to the task?
So maybe as per all the pundits have advised, we should be paying out the largest amount for a quality known proved striker who can score in Chamionship, which they have all said, we will need to stay up the first season!
Agree Mike but Thomas loves his mum 😃
I think Thomas’ son proved that stats and ratings don’t form a reliable indicator of how well a player will perform in future…
Well said, Mike
We still have not signed this striker but agree 1st July is when contracts mature 1st July but he still has not agreed terms and so right about the aptly named Ahadme or as one poster state I had you and a complete waste of space and still on the books.
Yes, we need some more strikers and yes 1.5 million is a fair bit of money for CAFC and yes Ewell us still our record signing 4.75 million in the Prem days.
Not keen on this GK from Luton and surely a cheaper younger GK but Manning deserves to start and IMHO is a very decent GK.
A lot of posters and so-called experts state can our players can step up a division, but yes, a balance is needed, but we want another striker who can score goals, but maybe if it happens, this new striker who has yet to agree on terms.
I would prefer to spend money on a creative midfielder and another striker for sure.
I am happy with Mannion and would prefer a recruit who would compete with him rather than come in as the No.1.
Also strikes me as bad business as any fee will be dead money because at his age after a year or two with us his resale value will plummet. In addition his wages will be disruptive if as you suggest they are significantly higher than the rest of the squad. As I have Sky and TNT sports I have seen Luton games on a regular basis and Kaminski did not look anything special. We already have got dead money and high wages tied up in the Ahadme fiasco. I would recruit an experienced goalkeeper of similar age to Mannion at a reasonable transfer fee on a realistic wage. Jones has recruited fairly well but I don’t like the fixation with Luton players, although I would like to see Doughty return.
I agree.
If there’s a fee it won’t be significant Luton having a fire sale after successive relegations. NJ was seeking better than AMB and WM last season, well as they both performed. Unpalatable fact is the squad needs enhancing in all areas. Charlton’s current owners didn’t make their fortunes through luck alone. The club’s structure has been fortified steadily since they took over. Recruitment this summer likely to be very different from the shabby pantomimes of the last decade or so. Getting steamed up about things at this very early stage is just finding ways to upset oneself. I choose to remain optimistic
I totally agree with you SCN that postitions need enhancing in all areas plus that we also would probably get him cheap to get his wage bill of of Luton’s, but it is his wage bill that concerns me! As for sure eggs are eggs, he won’t want to get less than Luton are currently paying him and would not want to move until a Club meets his demands. Why should he, if he is on a really good wage, as most players do, they will just carry on if playing or not, unless the Club pay them off! The same as Ahadme, if he doesn’t perform in the friendlies and Jones decides to offload him, Charlton would never get their money back and would struggle to get another Club to take him on permently, so would probably only be a loan with Charlton bearing some of the cost of his ongoing wages. Transfer fees are one thing, but ongoing wages are more of an issue, especially if a new player comes in on a much higher wage than others and even more so if that player then doesn’t perform, it can then cause unrest within the camp!
PS Whilst I have been very critical of Ahadme and in all honestly can’t see him doing any better this season, when he did nothing last season in a lower division, I sincerely hope he suddenly vastly improves and starts scoring goals and proves most of us all wrong! Which would then be great for Charlton and all of us.
COYR
I’m with you SCM.
I really don’t see a goalkeeper as priority one. Mannion and AMB are both good competent keepers. Though some sections of our support seem to have a downer on them both. Surely any available money should be spent on a decent striker and a midfield general (as we once called them) plus a couple of capable wide-men.