Ademola Lookman 2.0? 4 Charlton Athletic players who could be the next big stars to emerge | OneFootball

Highlights

Charlton Athletic have reaped plenty of benefits from their highly successful academy set-up down the years, with Ademola Lookman perhaps the best example of that in the last decade.

Charlton will be looking to have a more competitive season in League One this term. Dean Holden led the Addicks to 10th in the table last year, despite the issues off the field. The Addicks accumulated 62 points under Holden.

The team were hoping to bridge the 15-point gap to the play-off places and now build with the off-field talks coming to a conclusion. Numerous changes have occurred already behind the scenes for the club, including a change in manager after just five games. Holden lost four and won once in Charlton's opening league games.

He left them 19th in the table and became the first English Football League manager to lose his job this season. The London club will be aiming to bridge that gap and earn a place in the top six over the next eight months with Michael Appleton now at the helm.

However, his Charlton Athletic side have a close proximity to a hotbed of young talent by being situated in London and the Addicks have seen many great names come through their academy over the years, something that has boosted the reputation of the club.

Even though they are now in League One, Charlton can still be relied upon to spot young talent and give them an opportunity to shine with a pathway into the first-team squad.

Big names such as Ezri Konsa, Karlan Grant, Jonjo Shelvey, and Lookman are among those to have graduated through their set up in the last couple of decades.

Miles Leaburn is one of the more recent, though. Players like Nathan Assimwe and Karoy Anderson, who are all under the age of 19, have made multiple starts in the league for Charlton this year. That's to add to young forward Miles Leaburn's success of 12 goals last season at just 19-years-old.

1 Daniel Kanu

At the time of writing, 18-year-old Kanu has scored three goals in six competitive appearances and has managed to record an assist in the process - all in just under 300 minutes of competitive football.

Considering his age, it's impressive that he has managed to make such a good impact for his side and he could prove to be the next Leaburn on the striker conveyor belt of young talent at the Valley. If he can keep scoring, it will only be a matter of time before he's the subject of bids from elsewhere, too.

2 Zach Mitchell

The 18-year-old has made some appearances in the league and various cup competitions for the club after moving his way up the Addicks' youth setup and into the first-team but he's yet to really stamp his mark at senior level.

Mitchell's a centre-back who tends to play on the right of a back-three, or even in a more advanced wing-back role, if necessary. That versatility could take him a long way as his his 90 minutes in the EFL Cup against Newport County showcased. His loan to Colchester could help see him reach more of that potential ahead of a breakthrough campaign next term.

3 Tyreece Campbell

Campbell is a 19-year-old winger that has been very effective with the limited minutes that he's been given so far this season. Despite having a more consistent run of playing in the first-team last season, he's been used more sparingly this year but has bags of pace and talent.

He has a goal and two assists in around 500 minutes of football already and particularly impressed in his 45 minute outing against Oxford United. Campbell is clearly enjoying his own breakout season this year and could become a key player. The winger's performances have been a positive and suggest he could have an exciting future ahead, and he has some similarities to a young Lookman, too.

4 Josh Laqeretabua

Laqeretabua is another with big potential. The 17-year-old has already played for Fiji's U-20s side on two separate occasions, where he showed his versatility by slotting in as a left-back during the U-20 World Cup having featured as a centre-back and in midfield during his time in Charlton's academy.

Laqeretabua is still raw but is clearly rated by the South London club, having signed his first professional deal earlier this summer, and could be one to watch in the future whilst also competing in the EFL Trophy already.