Nathan Jones is retooling his Charlton playing team this summer in preparation for the club’s return to the Championship next season after spending the previous five seasons in League One.
AFC Wimbledon, on the other hand, is prepared for life back in the third tier for the 25/26 season, having achieved promotion through a play-off final victory against Walsall.
Charlton striker Daniel Kanu is in negotiations with AFC Wimbledon over a loan deal.
The 20-year-old centre-forward has been with the Addicks since Under-11 level, and he signed his first professional deal with the club in February 2022.
Kanu, a Sierra Leone international, scored 41 goals in the 21/22 season as a first-year scholar before making his first-team debut in February 2022, shortly after signing his first professional deal at The Valley.
| Kanu’s career stats (all comps) – per FotMob | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 24/25 | Charlton | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| 23/24 | Charlton | 34 | 7 | 0 |
| 23/24 | Southend (loan) | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| 22/23 | Charlton | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 21/22 | Charlton | 2 | ||
The 23/24 season was when he really made his mark on the Charlton faithful, appearing in 34 games and scoring seven goals, as well as spending a brief loan spell with National League side Southend United, where he scored four times in six appearances.
As a result of his breakout season, Kanu signed a new long-term contract with the Addicks in February 2024, keeping him at The Valley until 2027.
The teenage forward would later make 20 appearances for Charlton last season, 17 of which came in League One, scoring once.
Kanu may be a good signing for Wimbledon.
Despite promotion to League One last season, Wimbledon’s success was mostly due to their strong defense rather than their attack.
Indeed, Johnnie Jackson’s club surrendered only 35 times in the league in 24/25, the fewest of any team in the division last season.
On the other hand, they only scored 56 goals last season, the fewest of any of the division’s top seven teams, with Mathew Stevens scoring 17 of them.
As a result, the Dons will need to substantially sharpen their cutting edge this summer if they are to have the firepower to survive in League One the following season.
Kanu has shown signs of being able to score goals at that level, hitting six in 30 for Charlton in 23/24, which may not be an eye-catching return, but given his age and inexperience at the time, those numbers should point to his potential to be a real contributor for a team like Wimbledon.
As a result, the Dons might do worse than take a chance on a youthful and exciting centre-forward like Kanu this summer, as they try to make a name for themselves in the third division the following season.
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