Squad update thoughts
It’s hard to take the scalpel to the squad when there isn’t much lying on the operating table.
The only long-term contracted players that expired this summer are Luke Berry and Terry Taylor, both will be released. As expected TC will have his additonal year triggered. The club also have an option on Godden, but with him and Lyndon Dykes the club “remains in discussion.”
What does that mean exactly. Well I reckon Godden has to prove that he can offer a full season of fitness and be an able member of the squad. Jones and he have an excellent relationship, we love him, and I reckon every party will try to make another contract happen.
Dykes a little different. He did his job, it worked out for both parties but neither owe each other anything and I suspect the Scot will concentrate on the World Cup – his squad place is guaranteed – and then he will work out his next move.
For everyone else it is all about how Jones feels they can make the team a better constituent of its parts.
As examples, are Knibbs and Kelman going to be better having a proper pre-season and, as many players do, get better in the second season at a level.
Can the club improve on players like Coventry and Docherty in the window or does Jones and his staff think they can still be valuable squad players.
Do Apter and Olaofe still have value in the marketplace that we can recoup some of what we spent.
Will the club attempt to cash in players like TC and Miles Leaburn, both academy graduates, to help with FFP.
It seems like only yesterday under Duchatelet and Sandgaard when they didn’t see any benefit in offering long term contracts, so we had a huge churn of players every summer. Now we have the majority of players tied down, but then you are left with Gassan Ahadme contracted and well paid until 2028.
Ruthless decisons are all very well, but numerous parties have to agree to the decision. Players need buyers, terms have to be right for clubs and players. I see a lot of loans, but that will mean Charlton are probably still contributing to salaries.
I am hopeful the owners are fully bought in to what has to happen, but they can only spend within strict parameters and our revenues remain way less than most of the clubs we are competing in the market against.
Jones, Rodwell and Chapple know this. It has taken Millwall years of transfer windows to have the squad they have. It is still baby steps and Jones prides himself on recruitment, but we need a big window, and need to sign big players and it has to be better than last summer.
It will be a busy summer.
Hi CA, totally agree with what you say big decisions have to be made, I think most of us know who we want to keep and who we would like to go. But we have budget to work with so there is a fine balance of what we can and can’t do, apter and tanto not really set league one on fire while on loan can we cash in who knows, anyway off to a vinyl fair to keep busy with my other passion other than Charlton vinyl records coyr
I’m happy with the retained player list and with the players who are leaving.We still need to bring in new blood to strengthen the team for next season and build on progress we made.
I’m off to watch Jason Pearces U18 play Hull at The Valley this pm in a cup match I hope they win.
Agree with your sentiments CA, although I hope the club are simply being polite in opening discussions with Lyndon. Thanks to Lyndon for his efforts, as you say, it worked out for both parties, Charlton’s lack of options up front, and Lyndon’s need for game time to secure a World Cup spot, that is where it should end. Lyndon is of an age where he is unlikely to improve further, and an expensive option in terms of wage, for which, 3 goals in twenty games is not warranted. IMO, we have far better long term prospects in Miles and Charlie, both of whom are plenty young enough to progress further.
You quite rightly touch on fair play, which means we need to recruit and spend our money wisely. We will never get it right all of the time, but we need to avoid another Ahadme (least said..). To assist, I think we need to be ruthless and target clubs that struggle to compete with our offering and where a player views it as a step up and chance to prove himself. This used to be Ipswich, but we need to know our place and lower our sights (the best of league one), at least for now! Do we go back to Orient this year and enquire on Ballard? When expenses are tight, selecting the right character and which club to purchase from, are an equally important part of the equation as selecting a good player. To balance selecting the best young players from the lower league, we need good loans and to also take advantage of others recklessness by loaning from the likes of Wrexham, only paying a fraction of the wage, Conor Coady being a great example, thank you Conor! Either way, it is a lot more fun being the poacher than the gamekeeper (all too often) for a while and I am looking forward to seeing what the summer brings….
I think that the best of League One players are a gamble, and we need to focus our sights on players who can and have played at a higher level and less so on projects such as Apter, Tanto, Kelman, Knibbs.
I think we should be preying on some of Oxford’s players or Leicester’s and fellow Champ teams.
Agree with you on the right character though. I think this is top of Jones’ list of characteristics and I can’t think of a player that he’s signed who hasn’t been a team player.
Totally agree, we did the ‘best of league 1’ last season, as we saw, it will only get you so far. We need a decent level, established and proven championship players now, it has to be the next step. Agree totally with having a ‘closer look’ at players with the likes of Oxford and Leicester. A lot of the Leicester players are on big money and wouldn’t necessarily be good value for us, that wouldn’t be the case with Oxford. Stanley Mills the RWB has looked very useful when I’ve seen him play, he’s the first one I’d have a conversation with.
The retained list is obviously not going to be the basic squad for next season. I don’t think that Gassan Ahadme or Alex Mitchell will ever be seen in a Charlton shirt again and we need to move Macauley Gillesphey, although he might prefer to sit on a decent salary than take a cut to play at L1 level. The ruthless decision making will have to start with paying off these players.
Loaning players means we’ll be playing most of a player’s salary, that’s worthwhile when it comes to giving Academy players their first taste of regular football but it doesn’t work with players who don’t fit into the plans. But it can work to our advantage – Conor Coady was apparently on £16K a week at Wrexham, I wonder how much of that we paid? The same with Jayden Fevrier, we got two bargains there for little outlay.
But I’d hope that the owners will see the value of giving NJ a decent budget. We averaged around 20,000 for our home matches/ circa 5k more than last year and I don’t think they will need to be told the risk of cutting the budget to the minimum, we didn’t escape relegation by much.
I wonder if there’ll be a new investor or two coming on-board?
This is just the first stage of those out of contract.
I don’t see many of those being at the club when we resume in August. I can’t see both Mitchells ,gas, macca, Kanu, Anderson , and Burke being around. I think the appointment of Richard Law is a key development. I would imagine that few players have been told where they fit in and have their agents working on potential transfer movements.
There will be bids for our players too and decisions will need have to be made on those , so plenty to do over the next few months.
I have a feeling that NJ would be happy to sell off Leaburn. If that happened he would want Dykes as a replacement. Possibly this is the scenario. Only my thoughts though.
As for Godden. Another year contract would be ideal, but the club are probably worried re. his fitness and may not wish to commit to that. Tricky.
I seem to be out of step with the majority (nothing new there) re. Kanu. I think the lad should come back and be given a chance in the Championship. He’s done very well at Walsall. Even if they are League 2.
As for Ahadme. It’s time for the club to admit he’s been a miserable failure and get rid. Even if it means paying him off.
I have always liked DK and want him to succeed with us. But he is one of the few fringe players we have, especially after the season he had with Walsall, that may attract a decent fee. Maybe this is where being ruthless comes into it?
I would also cash in on Leaburn, but I’m not sure how high his stock will be now, after a fairly disappointing season?
Well summed up. Let’s see how the ownerships ambitions evolve. So far they e been progressive in all areas. Don’t see spanners as role models.they ground out results but that’s about it. Outside of maybe four teams in the championship none of the remainder really stood out. That said , Have to accept that we were a bottom six side based on performances alone. Re loans do you not think they can be the difference for teams like ours with limited finances.