Charlton Athletic could have reaped the rewards of 140-goal Watford FC star.

If Charlton Athletic had been successful in their desire to buy Troy Deeney from Walsall in 2010, they may have enjoyed his presence up front for several years.

Prior to Charlton’s involvement, the strong striker established himself with the Saddlers in the third division of English football, hitting 26 goals in two seasons.

Deeney’s form for Walsall prompted him to submit a transfer request amid reports of interest from the Championship, with Watford among those connected with a move for him.

Despite being in League One at the time, Charlton seemed to have been close to signing him before the Hornets did.

Charlton Athletic could have beaten Watford to Troy Deeney signing

Deeney discussed how close he was to joining Charlton on the Beast Mode On podcast on YouTube. “The year I left Walsall, I was on £180 per week,” Deeney explained.

“The maximum I could make in a week was £350, but I’d have to start, win, and score four goals. “Charlton were like the frontrunners. I was supposed to be in there, and they were going to pay me three thousand (£3,000) every week. “I was like, three times 52, that’s big money. You know what it’s like; you’ve already spent it.

“This is during the offseason, about mid-June. My agent at the time said, ‘You are not signing that’. He resembled ‘Watford’. “I’d never really seen or heard of Watford. I had heard of Charlton.

Blues played there in the Premiership, and I attended as a supporter. “He was like, ‘They’re offering five grand each week’. I was like ‘f*** Charlton’. “I don’t care where it is, let’s just get it done.” Deeney signed for the Hornets for an initial cost of £500,000 plus a £150,000 bonus clause if they make the Premier League.

Given that he was later linked with a £30 million move to Leicester City after they won the Premier League in 2016, it would be reasonable to say that it was an excellent deal to bring him in from Walsall for a six-figure fee.

In retrospect, if Charlton had offered the same salary as Watford, they might have recruited a man who went on to record 95 goals in the Championship and 47 goals in the Premier League.

Charlton Athletic bought Pawel Abbott and Paul Benson instead of Troy Deneey – that proved to be a mistake

 

Charlton failed to get Deeney, but they did spend money on two other strikers during the summer transfer window in 2010.

They first signed Pawel Abbott from Oldham Athletic for about £20,000, followed by Paul Benson from Dagenham & Redbridge for £250,000.

Abbott scored just one league goal for the Addicks during a miserable tenure at The Valley before leaving on a free transfer to join Polish club Ruch Churzow in March 2011. Benson managed to score double figures in League One during his initial campaign in SE7, but he fell out of favour under Chris Powell and joined Swindon Town midway through the 2011/12 season in a trade deal for Leon Clarke.

There is little doubt that signing a 22-year-old Deeney would have been more beneficial for Charlton, and the Addicks were reminded of what could have been when the striker scored a stunning volley at The Valley in 2014 and scored in Watford’s 5-0 victory at Vicarage Road the following year.

Charlton fans were probably unaware at the time that they were so close to signing Deeney, and they would have had no idea how much of an impact the brute of a striker would have at EFL and Premier League level, so it will always be a case of ‘What if?’ now that the truth is out.

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