Don Goodman’s exclusive analysis on Charlton Athletic’s chances of surviving in the Championship
After winning promotion in the third-division play-off final against Sunderland just 14 months earlier, the South London team was demoted back to League One on the penultimate day of the 2019–20 season, their last appearance at second tier level.
It hasn’t been the most convenient start to what is a crucial period of preparation at the Valley, though, as they won at Wembley Stadium again last month thanks to a spectacular free kick from Macauley Gillesphey that was enough to defeat an undefeated Leyton Orient team under the arch.
Though the two clubs will formally switch places in the pyramid in the coming days, Cardiff City’s hopes of luring the boyhood Bluebirds supporter back to South Wales have been dashed as Addicks manager Nathan Jones recently put pen to paper on a new and lengthy five-year deal in SE7.
Even though this is fantastic news and possibly the biggest deal that could happen in this area of the capital between now and the second Deadline Day on September 1st, Goodman thinks that any new players must be of a certain caliber before trying to bolster the team to disprove the skeptics, who are likely to predict the Reds’ immediate relegation.
Shortly after promotion, the club dismissed five players: Dean Bouzanis, Tennai Watson, Aaron Henry, Chucks Aneke, and Danny Hylton. Meanwhile, the highly regarded Thierry Small chose to turn down new terms and sign a four-year contract with Preston North End.
Although the managerial situation at Charlton has been the subject of much discussion, the team has recently been linked to a move for Akin Famewo, who has played 62 times for the team in two loan stints between 2020 and 2022. Sheffield Wednesday is also seeking to sign the 26-year-old to a new contract in light of the uncertainty at Hillsborough.
According to Goodman, who spoke exclusively to Football League World, the Addicks’ success throughout the 46-game season would probably depend on their hiring decisions, particularly since their financial resources aren’t comparable to those of their fellow promoted teams, Birmingham City and Wrexham.
The Sky Sports analyst started off by saying, “Nathan Jones doesn’t need any advice from me!” “He will examine the stark realities and assess the strength of Birmingham City and Wrexham (after) rising.
| 2024/25 League One table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Points | |
| 1 | (C) Birmingham City | 46 | 53 | 111 |
| 2 | (P) Wrexham | 46 | 33 | 92 |
| 3 | Stockport County | 46 | 30 | 87 |
| 4 | (P) Charlton Athletic | 46 | 24 | 85 |
| 5 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 25 | 84 |
| 6 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 24 | 78 |
“They’ll most likely spend a bit of money, so he will know it’s going to be a tough season in the Championship next season,” said Goodman.
He will understand that he needs to add some significant quality to his team because he has been there before and understands what it’s like.
“Rather than squad players, I believe the recruitment will focus on individuals who can immediately start in the starting lineup.
The 59-year-old said, “Charlton Athletic and their recruitment team will have an interesting summer.”
Jones is a manager who has a great deal of faith in himself, and that belief has frequently permeated his team at the Valley and, most notably, during two periods at Luton Town, where the Hatters were seen as overwhelming underdogs by many of their divisional rivals.
Jones and his recruitment team will need to be extremely astute in the market, particularly when it comes to sourcing the necessary quality at the top end of the pitch, given the budgetary constraints and the fact that Charlton had a lower wage bill than two of the teams demoted to League Two last season.
With a total of 67 goals distributed widely around the team, only Matty Godden scored in double figures the previous season.
Tyreece Campbell and Lloyd Jones will undoubtedly receive a lot of attention, so it will be interesting to see how many of the current crop can step up.
However, it is undeniable that further quality will be required to emulate the six teams that were promoted from League One in the past, all of which made it through the subsequent season.
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