"£350k to £400k" - Alfie May transfer claim made as Charlton Athletic star shines | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Alfie May has had another outstanding season in League One, and campaigns like this tend to attract the attention of Championship clubs; something that Charlton Athletic fans will hope doesn't happen.

The 2023/24 campaign certainly hasn't gone how Charlton, and their fans, hoped or expected it to. Until Nathan Jones initiated their turnaround in form, they were heading towards a relegation battle.

When you paid £250,000 for one of the league's top scorers in the summer, as the Addicks did for the Kent-raised forward, as per London News Online, then you don't set out to be battling near the bottom of the league.

May has been able to better his goals tally from last season, with Cheltenham Town by three - 20 last season, and 23 in this one with one game to go.

Players who will get you 20+ goals a season are very hard to find, and Charlton may have to ward off interest in the 30-year-old, who is soon to be 31, in the summer.

Football League World's Addicks fan pundit, Ben Fleming, has laid out his thoughts on whether a second tier side should make a move for his club's top scorer.

Charlton fan on potential Championship interest in Alfie May

Fleming is hoping that the forward's age puts off second tier sides from coming in with a bid for May in the summer.

"I think, in terms of May, I'm hoping his age might work against him, in terms of getting interest from the Championship," said FLW's Chartlon fan pundit. "Hopefully, for us, that is the case."

"Obviously he's come in and done exactly what he'd hoped he would and hit the ground running and maintained those levels that he showed at Cheltenham. But I think it's understandable that he would attract interest from a Championship club.

"Physically, he still looks very capable. I don't think he's had any real injury problems. He's been rested a couple of times when the schedule has got particularly hectic, but I think his availability has been very good throughout the year.

"It would be a shame to lose him, if a club did come in for him. But then I think Chartlon would stay pretty resolute given that we put a decent figure on the table to sign him in the first place. I think it was about £250,000.

"I would imagine that the club would want to recoup at least that, and I'd imagine that they'd want to make a profit. "I'd be surprised if the club entertained offers. Obviously he was born in this part of the world - the southeast of London area. He clearly enjoys playing here. He's had good success. So I'm hopeful that, and his age, will help him stay on.

"But, if a Championship club does come in, you're going to want to make a profit. So I could imagine the club asking for £350k to £400k. I think it would take a pretty big sum of money to convince the club to part ways with him after one season, even if there is interest from the division above."

Alfie May's age shouldn't be much of a worry for Championship clubs

With modern technology and practices, athletes across the globe are playing to a much higher standard, much later in their careers. Now, granted, the technology that's available to Premier League clubs isn't necessarily in place at the Valley, but there is certainly still an improvement.

It's not unusual for footballers to be near their best in their early 30s, which is the stage of life that May has only recently come into.

Had he dropped down the leagues and started scoring goals, then there would be more of a concern about his age. Championship clubs aren't looking at signing David McGoldrick, for example.

But May has gone up the leagues and continued to score, both with Cheltenham and Charlton. So, if a second tier side think he could fit well in their system, they should go after him.