Ruthless decisions
Nathan Jones has stated numerous times, and yesterday more forcefully that this summer will see a big turnaround in playing staff following the consolidation of our Championship status, the first time the club have done that since 2013, and the first time ever following promotion through the play-off’s.
Jones said yesterday: “We need an influx of quality, athleticism, better decision-makers and pace. Everything. We need better.”
So, I am here to help Nathan, Phil Chapple and Jim Rodwell.
I will list every squad player, try to act with realism but will wear ruthless tinted glasses and give my opinion ending with stay✔️, sell (if possible) 🏷️, loan out 🤝, leave ❌, go back ↪️ or resign ✍️.
🔴 Thomas Kaminski – I’m really not sure about Thomas. I want a ‘keeper that feels me with confidence, and he doesn’t. He did on many occasions make some tremendous saves and kept 11 clean sheets, but I would really like to see an upgrade and I’m not against a loan player. Kaminski does have a contract that runs until 2028 which means he will probably stay, but will our highest earner want to warm the bench? 🏷️
🔴 Will Mannion – I have a warmer feeling towards Mannion. I trust him when he comes flying off his line for a cross, but he did make a couple of howlers at the end of the season, which meant he lost his place after patiently waiting to win it back. A cheaper #2 option. ✔️
🔴 Tiernan Brooks – one for the future, and a contract until 2028. ✔️
🔴 Nathan Asiimwe – Just like his loan club he started the season on fire but faded. Made 35 appearance for Jacko. Is he good enough for the Championship? Only 21, perhaps another loan 🤝
🔴 Harry Clarke – I really liked what we saw during the first few months. He was part of the January safety crew and admirably replaced James Bree. However he was liable to make costly mistakes recently and he is a sprinkler head in front of goal. Ipswich will most certainly want to offload following their promotion, but Clarke won’t be cheap and I feel we can do better. I’d prefer Bree back. ↪️
🔴 Josh Edwards – can’t wait to see the Scotsman back in a red shirt. ✔️
🔴 Luke Chambers – the Liverpool lad really helped us out of a tough spot, and you can see he has a good pedigree. Not wing-backy enough for me, but thank you Luke. ↪️
🔴 Lloyd Jones – POTY and the player from last season that most comfortably made the step up in class. Contract has just a year to run. Love him to sign a new one. ✔️
🔴 Macaulay Gillesphey – we will never forget Wembley Macca, but back to L1 for you I am afraid. 🏷️
🔴 Amari’i Bell – arguably our best summer signing. We are a different team with him in it. A good pre-season and don’t ever play him left-wing-back again ✔️
🔴 Reece Burke – we knew he was injury prone and 17 appearances is not good enough. In contract until 2027. 🏷️
🔴 Kayne Ramsey – I like Ramsey. There were times when he played above the level, and times when he made schoolboy errors. He has an exciting jeopardy about him that I like. I’d like to see him stay but would not be surprised if he falls into Jones’ ruthless decision category. ✔️
🔴 Alex Mitchell – great character and he had a fantastic season at Plymouth, who I expect will make a bid. 🏷️
🔴 Zach Mitchell – weird one. Had a terrible loan in Scotland and has fallen behind Keenan Gough in the pecking order. Local lad, still only 21. Another loan maybe. 🤝
🔴 Collins Sichenje – He made a real impression and his recruitment and style of play is possibly a nod to where Jones wants this team to be. Desperately needs a pre-season and higher levels of resilience to muscle injuries. ✔️
🔴 Keenan Gough – depending on summer recruitment he could go out on loan, but like Fullah the 20-year old may form part of what will be a larger squad ✔️
🔴 Karoy Anderson – one of our own, but not good enough for The Championship. Time for Karoy to find a new home. 🏷️
🔴 Conor Coventry – does the simple things well, and in many games played a key role, but I think we need to upgrade on Conor. I reckon he will be made available while we can get a fee, although I think West Ham have a big sell on. 🏷️
🔴 Luke Berry – the club does have a year‘s option, but despite Jones’ relationship expect him to be looking for another club. ❌
🔴 Greg Docherty – I love this man, and the Scot represents every facet of what I want a Charlton player to be. We will need better, and although he could be a decent squad player, he and the manager will mutually agree that a move is in the best interests of both parties. 🏷️
🔴 Sonny Carey – he faded badly as the season went on, but his goals were invaluable and will be again. ✔️
🔴 Joe Rankin-Costello – None of us can be sure to how good JRC is as we never saw enough of him, but when we did, did he do enough? There were some snippets, and Jones always talked about JRC like he was one for a different time. Is that next season? Suspect he will stay as he has 3 years of his contract to run. ✔️
🔴 Harvey Knibbs – remember the excitement about the signing of Knibbs, and how the world ended when we thought he wasn’t coming? I see potential, but needs a good pre-season and even a designated role. I was never sure where he was playing when he came on as sub. I think Harvey will come good. ✔️
🔴 Ibrahim Fuller – probably our most exciting youngster of this crop. Suspect he needs a taste of ‘man’s football’ on loan though. 🤝
🔴 Terry Taylor – Played over 50 games for relegated Northampton. Contract expires this summer. ❌
🔴 Conor Coady – mixed message’s from Coady and Jones after Saturday. I’d be happy to have him around as I think he has been pivotal on and off the field in the second half of the season. Not sure he’ll want to continue to spend time away from his family and we can put what we’ll have to pay him to better use. ↪️
🔴 Rob Apter – Was POTY potential last August. It’s been a tough season for Rob, even back near home he didn’t do it for Bolton. He has started just 9 games and been hooked at half-time twice. Has been on Bolton’s bench without getting on in recent weeks. There’s a player in there, but his confidence is zero. Will Jones see him as a project or will he look to move him on? I think the latter. 🏷️
🔴 Jayden Fevrier – I think we can do better, but wide players have to be high on the list just under midfielders. His recent form has done him no harm, he may even be in The Championship next season with Stockport. That Hull goal will live long in the memory though. ↪️
🔴 Tyreece Campbell – No other Addicks player splits opinion like TC does. I think the club will trigger the year’s extension and then cash him in, and I’m okay with that. 🏷️
🔴 Miles Leaburn – another conundrum. Was brilliant yesterday for half hour. Miles has his admirers at other clubs, and I think the Addicks will take a good offer. It will be a sad day, although if the offers aren’t there I reckon he will get one more season to ‘make it.’ ✔️
🔴 Lyndon Dykes – He impressed me, and led the line literally as part of the January safety crew, but he was indifferent in recent weeks. I don’t think he should be part of the go-forward plan and we’ll go in a different direction before the World Cup. ❌
🔴 Matt Godden – what an awful season for Matty after the heights of last year. He started two games, played 299 minutes in total, but two fantastic goals and he still looked our most dangerous player when on the pitch. I think we all hope he’ll be given another year. ✍️
🔴 Daniel Kanu – He won a boatload of awards at Walsall where I feel he may have found his level. Still only 21, I think we will take the money if offered or it will be another season out on loan. 🏷️
🔴 Micah Mbick – A summer of rehabilitation for Micah before pre-season when I think he will form part of Nathan Jones squad. I’m hoping we resist offers and don’t have to sell to raise money. ✔️
🔴 Kaheim Dixon – A project that is likely to continue with another loan I expect. 🤝
🔴 Tanto Olaofe – Possibly still has something to offer, because Tanto had some good qualities, but I think we will look to offload him, which is the right decision. 🏷️
🔴 Gassan Ahadme – evidence that we have signed some proper duds in recent times. Ahadme has been injured since December and has played 490 league minutes in a year and a half. It might be that we cancel his contract once he’s fit. He’s still only 25. ❌
🔴 Charlie Kelman – I think there is plenty to come from Charlie and I’m excited to witness it. ✔️
Discuss.
Thank you CA for the very interesting views on the squad and I have to agree with most of your assessments….The club does require a total overhaul to prepare for next season.
On another tack the Womens team fell short of getting automatic promotion losing 2-0 to Birmingham…..but have another chance when we face Leicestet on the 23rd May at The Valley.
If your a Charlton fan please get tonthe game and help them finish the quest to get into the WSL….I really hope 🙏
A fair assessment, and I’m pretty much in agreement. Personally, I would sell Leaburn. I said at the start of the season that this was a big year for him, and he hasn’t really done it. I would also keep Campbell, as I still see so much potential in him. Edwards coming back from injury will be like having a new signing, and also solve the LWB problem. Between Bree and Clarke there is a great footballer, and I did prefer Clarke’ passion, but if there is a better alternative, then so be it.
I think that I had made my mind up a few weeks ago about which players I would keep, and so you would assume that Jones, Chapple and Rodwell had already done so too. It is possible that Jones changed his mind about players like Apter & Olaofe once he realised that we were never going to dominate teams, which coincided with Southampton spanking us at The Valley, and then it all became about survival, which was reflected in our January signings.
As you have identified, the midfield needs a massive overhaul. When you look at our possession stats for the season, it is obvious that we lack a player who can keep hold of the football and dictate play. Instead we seem to just give the ball back to the opposition. I don’t care much for XG stats etc. but in general, if you don’t have the ball, you can’t score, which maybe accounts for the lack of goals this season? A player in the style of someone like Imran Louza at Watford, who just oozed quality, would be perfect, and that is going to cost big money.
It is going to be an interesting summer!
Lloyd Jones is the solid foundation that this Charlton team is built on. He is the glue that binds the team together. A talisman. Reading your helpful summary of the player’s – much of which l agree with – l cannot help thinking ‘what if’. What if Lloyd Jones was injured for any length of time? Who would fill the massive void? I don’t think there is another player in the squad capable of filling Jones’ role, to the same high standard, and certainly not for any length of time. We need another player of a similar ilk, and we need to extend Jones’ contract too.
As ever a well balanced viewpoint on our beloved club. I agree with almost every decision, bar one, and yes you guessed it, TC.
I really feel with Josh Edwards behind him and playing in his wide position, his ability may flourish and he can / will make Championship level. We have bought some real bad wide players of late including Charlie Kirk,Rob Apter, Jaiyesimi , and other less memorable.
At just 22 and in his first Championship season, he can improve at little cost.
I sponsor TC as I did Lloyd Sam.
Loan out young players only and move the rest out one way or another.
Bring in at least 6-8 better players and we could push into the middle section of the table.
Get the older players who are not good enough off the books , sell or free transfer if you can .
We will find out in the next month or so if the owners have any money .
A fair assessment generally, I reckon, which I think would leave us with 14 players if all went to CA’s plan. To me, that suggests that we need to make a minimum of six new signings. That’s when things get difficult. If we are looking to improve the squad, we would expect, say, 4 out of the 6 new signings to be good enough to go straight into the first XI, meaning that four of the retained players would be squad players.
It isn’t as easy as it seems, is it?
Let’s hope that the owners are prepared to back us financially again after the expensive mistakes made when recruiting last summer.
COYR !!!!!
I think your analysis is almost spot on. A keeper to replace Kaminski is essential and Leaburn is still not fully fit. A midfield general is another must.
Great in depth assessment of where we are, playing staff wise CA, and am sure most of us agree with the majority of your thoughts for each individual. There will of course be the odd one or two debates on certain players, as each of us have our favourites. I would suggest that the owners will have to dig deep in the summer to give us any chance of at least a mid table finish next term. Quality and experience is what will be needed, and that doesn’t come cheap.
Great analysis CA I agree on most of them i would love to see Mannion, Edwards, Jones, Bell, Ramsey, Sichenje, Gough, Doherty, Carey, JRC, Knibbs, Mullah, Mbick, Kelman back for another season Leaburn I think deserves one more season Campbell on a good day is one of my favourite players think they should also consider Kanu upfront try to seal deals for Fevrier and Bree if anyone doesn’t make the grade for next season thank you all for this season..COYR
Nothing much that I disagree with…although I’d like to sign Jayden Fevrier, he’s a Londoner who clearly liked being back at home. I got Kayne Ramsay vibes there, another who relocated from upnorth to back home and prospered.
The key thing was that the January signings came in with a bit of Championship experience and quality and it showed. Our pre-season strategy of signing L1 players who could be trained up didn’t really work and too often our midfield looked like a sieve, while the players we acquired (like Reece Burke/Amari’i Bell) looked good even if they came with injury records which is probably why we could afford them. Hopefully some of our academy/L1 players will be fitter and wiser for having had a season at a higher level under their belts.
Spending on proven Championship quality has though to be the first criteria we look for in a player.
From here as a minimum we need another CB, a strong ball winning defensive midfielder (Conor Coady showed why we need someone like him), a creative midfielder plus a forward who can bang in 10 plus goals a season.
We also need a bit of a sea change in playing strategy, being defensively minded was a case of necessity determining our tactics but as I’ve often mentioned transitioning to attack was often a bit disjointed. TC for example should prosper in a set-up that aims for sustained periods of attack – when there are multiple attacking threats defenders are not going to pay him as much attention as they did this season, given his pace teams often man-marked him and gave him little or no room to play.
Interesting that everyone seems to broadly agree with your assessment CA. As do I.
Speaking as an ex-goalkeeper (with bias) I think it is fair to say that G/K is the most important position on the pitch. Towards the end of the 24/25 season Mannion was improving strongly and I felt it was wrong to make him the number 2 when TK arrived. I have no doubt in my mind that Mannion is a better keeper than Kaminski and with WM being 5 years younger than TK I believe there is room for Mannion to get even better, whereas I don’t see Kaminski getting any better. Perhaps a top class G/K coach would be a good investment….enter Deano !!
Re : TC : There is room for him to improve and I think we should stick with him but DON’T expect him to be a striker. He frightens defenders as a winger and that is how he should be used.
Re : Miles : A few years ago it looked as though we had a real future star on our hands but the injury which kept him out for around 10 months really seems to have set him back. It may be just me but his body language indicates to me that he is not entirely happy. I have no idea what is going on in his life but I do hope he stays and becomes as good as his potential.
Norfolk Red is bang on about Lloyd Jones. If he gets injured for any length of time it would be a real problem so addressing that scenario is vitally important.
Like all of you I wait and hope for exciting arrivals in the summer.
Also largely in agreement with CA with a couple of differences,
1) sign Jayden Fevrier
2) NJ use his Luton connection to sign Millenic Alli with a deal for TC & cash.
I too agree largely with everything CA , all loaned out players sell or re loan out, kaminski not good enough tail end of his career I also think the jury is out on Rankin Costello not really done enough to warrant keeping maybe a loan move, leaburn to me hasn’t looked fit all season , signing wise a midfield playmaker a priority interesting summer ahead coyr
Everyone has diffrrent opinions on who too keep and which players to move on . 3 points i would like to make . We need a player that can take a dead ball situation . A coach that can organise a team regarding set plays. And 2 of the owners who own our football club are billionaires so they have the money its just how much they are prepered to put into the project. Finally regarding the womens team 11 points clear february and failed to get automatic promotion if they loose to leicester karen should get the sack sorry!
I agree with you on all three points, Gary.
CA,
As usual I find myself in agreement with many of your thoughts, particularly with regard to Miles. This season hasn’t panned out as expected for him, but we mustn’t forget the injury he sustained, and we need to give him further time to fully develop. He has good feet, good in the air, and is no slouch. He was afforded very limited opportunities this season, and for some reason, Dykes was preferred for the vast majority of games, despite only contributing 3 goals in 19 games. I worry that there is a lack of connection between Jones and Leaburn.
My one of my areas of disagreement is TC. Whilst he may struggle to offer up for 90 mins, he was a game changer off the bench at times, and we are not exactly blessed with genuine pace and talent. He was also played out of position, as part of a two up front, or a wingback. I would love to see him play as part of a front three, but that isn’t Jones’s style. That is my one criticism of the manager, he has earned the right to do as he pleases in my eyes, but the available players did not always fit the style (Southampton at home for example), and at times, we needed to revert and adapt to what we have, and not play square pegs in round holes.
I am not sure why we feel the need to set the bar higher for our own? There is no better feeling than seeing our youth team progress and they should be shielded from the type of criticism levelled to TC at times. Apart from the ground, everything is a revolving door in football, and youth team players are the closest connection you can have as a fan, they should be celebrated as such.
I look forward to seeing your prediction play out. I personally prefer Clarke to Bree, I have trouble forgiving the latter for the obvious dip in form once Southampton fluttered their eyelids back in his direction after a short spell of top form.
Keep up the good work!
Keith
Well said, Keith.