Charlton Athletic on the verge of securing Plymouth Argyle transfer agreement | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic slipped to yet another defeat in League One action on New Year's Day as Oxford United defeated them 2-1 at The Valley.

Oisin Smyth's late winner for the U's piled the pressure on Addicks head coach Michael Appleton, who has seen three successive defeats for his side now and they have not won in their previous six league outings.

It looks as though Appleton will be given a chance to turn things around though at Charlton - who currently sit in 14th position in League One and 14 points off the play-off spots - and they are closing in on their first new signing of the Janaury transfer window, which has only just opened for business.

Charlton on the verge of Gillesphey deal

According to South London Press reporter Rich Cawley, Charlton are set to make an addition to their defensive options by signing Plymouth Argyle left-footer Macaulay Gillesphey.

The 28-year-old is set to arrive at The Valley on a permanent basis, having taken in the match against Oxford on Monday, and Charlton will pay a six-figure fee for his services, per Cawley's post on X.

Charlton have a decent amount of centre-back options at the club, but with Terell Thomas being linked with a move away in the transfer window already, Gillesphey could be his potential replacement.

Gillesphey has been out of favour at Plymouth this season since their promotion to the Championship, appearing just four times for the Pilgrims in the second tier of English football, although he did start on Boxing Day against Cardiff City.

The Newcastle United academy graduate played 35 times in Plymouth's third tier title-winning campaign last year though, and he is set to add promotion experience to Appleton's back-line.

Gillesphey's contract at Home Park only expires in the summer of 2025, but Argyle are clearly happy to let their backup defender depart for pastures new as they can recoup a bit of money for his services in the process.

Gillesphey a smart pickup for Charlton and Plymouth won't miss him

With 91 matches under his belt for Plymouth, Gillesphey has had his uses for the last couple of years, but there has not really been much need for his services during the 2023-24 season.

Steven Schumacher, before he departed for Stoke City last month, barely used Gillesphey in his defence as he upgraded the left-hand side of his back-line with the addition of Lewis Gibson over the summer.

That shuffled Gillesphey down the pecking order, and they are clearly happy for him to move on to get some more game-time.

Michael Hector and Lloyd Jones are two solid League One centre-backs, but it's clearly not really working out right now for them given recent results on the pitch, so Gillesphey will provide fresh competition and could make them raise their games.