Alfie May: BBC pundit reveals Charlton Athletic surprise and delivers Birmingham City prediction | OneFootball

Jobi McAnuff has given his reaction to Charlton Athletic's decision to sell striker Alfie May to Birmingham City.

Highlights

Pundit Jobi McAnuff says he was surprised by Charlton Athletic's decision to sell star striker Alfie May to Birmingham City this summer.

May only joined Charlton from Cheltenham Town last summer for a fee of £250,000, and while it was a disappointing season for the Addicks as they finished 16th in the table, he enjoyed an excellent campaign on an individual level as he finished as the top scorer in League One.

It was initially thought that May was set to join Huddersfield Town, but after Birmingham came in with a late offer, a fee believed to be in the region of £775,000 was agreed, with add-ons included in the deal that could see the total reach seven figures, and he made the move to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Many were surprised that Charlton sanctioned May's departure, particularly to a potential promotion rival, but the 31-year-old revealed that his desire to be closer to his family was a big factor in his decision to leave the club.

The Addicks have brought in two new strikers this summer, with Matty Godden and Gassan Ahadme arriving from Coventry City and Ipswich Town respectively, while they also have Miles Leaburn, Chuks Aneke and Daniel Kanu on their books, and manager Nathan Jones will hope that they are able to step up and replace May's goals.

Jobi McAnuff on Alfie May's Charlton Athletic departure

McAnuff said that he was shocked Charlton allowed May to depart this summer given his outstanding record last season, and he predicted that he will be among the top scorers in League One again this season after his move to Birmingham.

"He's one of those players that scores out of little opportunities that don't seem very obvious, he finds these little bits of space in the box, he's a fantastic finisher on both feet and he has brilliant movement," McAnuff said on the BBC's Football Daily podcast.

"I had a little spell with him at Stevenage when he came in on trial before he headed off to Doncaster.

"I think he is going to be right up there for top scorer this season."

Charlton Athletic may live to regret Alfie May decision

It is difficult to disagree with McAnuff that it was a surprise to see Charlton sell May to Birmingham, and it is a decision that could come back to haunt them.

If May was keen to move back up north for family reasons, then there is little the Addicks could have done to prevent his departure, but there were signs last season that Jones had reservations about the striker after he dropped him on a number of occasions.

After being handed the number nine shirt, it looks likely that Ahadme will be the main man for Charlton this season, and given that he scored 13 goals for a struggling Cambridge United side last term, he could thrive in a more successful team, while Godden, Leaburn, Aneke and Kanu are all strong options.

However, it is difficult to see any of those players reaching the same number of goals as May did last season, and the Addicks have undoubtedly strengthened a promotion rival by allowing him to join the Blues.